Abert's Towhee

Photo by Dave Bixler and Phyllis Murray

The Abert’s Towhee is a bird that I would venture to say that every bird watcher in our area has seen. I, like many of you, see this bird every day in my backyard.

Description: There are six towhees, but the Abert’s Towhee is the largest one of them. It is easily distinguished by it’s blackish face next to its pale bill. The overall color is brown with a rusty color under the tail. You can’t tell the difference between the sexes as they look the same.

Habitat:  It likes desert scrub, riparian thickets and woodland.

Nesting:  It will build its nest in shrubs but no more than 15-20 feet high. The nest is bulky and loose formed of vines, bark, grass, leaves and even hair. They are monogamous and usually bonded for life. They have 3-4 eggs that are pale bluish or white. The female broods. It’s a shame, but cowbirds like to use their nests for their own eggs.

Diet:  They forage mainly for seeds and grubs on the ground by scratching it like a quail.

Range:  This is a bird that is mostly endemic to Arizona but their range just barely extends to small parts of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and SonoranMexico. As a result, bird watchers from all over the world travel to our area to see it.

Interesting Facts: 

It was named after Lt. James William Abert (1820-1897).

A group of towhees is called a “Teapot” or a “Tangle”.