How to Identify aEastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus · 6.8–8.2 in (17–21 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Jet-black head, back, and breast, bright rufous flanks, white belly, and red eyes.
Female
Same pattern but warm brown where the male is black.
Male photo: Paul Danese / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Female photo: Ken Thomas / Wikimedia, Public domain
Field marks
- Rufous sides between a dark hood and white belly
- Red eye (white in some southern birds)
- White corners flashing in the long dark tail
- Noisy double-scratch foraging in leaf litter
Similar species
What it sounds like
A ringing "drink-your-TEEEEA" with the last note trilled, plus a rising "chewink" call.
Behaviour that gives it away
Feeds with a two-footed backward hop that rakes leaf litter aside, loud enough to sound like a much larger animal.
Habitat & range
Brushy edges, thickets, and undergrowth across the eastern U.S.
When you'll see it
Depending on where in eastern and southeastern North America you are, it is present all year and a summer visitor that arrives to breed.
What it eats
Seeds, insects, and berries kicked up from the ground.
Did you know?
Its ringing call sounds like "drink-your-tea," and its noisy scratching often gives it away in the brush.
Spot one yourself?
Point your camera at any bird and Aviarist identifies it in seconds — then logs it to your life list.
Get Aviarist on Google Play
More backyard birds
Other apps we make
