Where’s Wildlife · Bird Field Guide
Eastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Pronounced (approx.): PIP-ih-loh eh-rith-rof-THAL-mus
Often scratches backward with both feet to uncover food in leaf litter.
Three Identification Clues
A large, long-tailed sparrow with a thick bill.
Adults have rusty sides and a white belly; males are black above and females brown.
White tail corners and a small white wing marking can help identification.
Field Photographs
Showing 8 of 14 photographs.
Beyond the first impression
Plumage & Identification
The pattern matters more than the darkness
Adult females replace the male's black head, throat, and back with brown, while retaining rusty sides and a white belly. Juveniles can look unlike either adult, with brownish plumage and extensive streaking. Check the large sparrow-like bill and long tail before deciding from color alone. [1]
Small flashes in dense cover
The outer tail corners show white when the tail spreads, and a small white mark appears on the folded wing. Most views are brief, through twigs or leaves. A photograph may conceal these marks; a few moments watching the moving bird often reveal more. [1]
Life history
How This Bird Lives
Where to look
Listen for rustling at the base of thickets and wooded edges. Pause and scan beneath the shrubs instead of looking only toward the canopy. The scratchy chewink call may lead you to a bird before you see its white tail corners. [3]
Food & foraging
A towhee hops backward with both feet, throwing leaves aside, then examines the exposed ground. Its varied menu includes insects, spiders, seeds, berries, and small snails. The conspicuous scratching is a feeding technique, not evidence that the bird is digging a nest. [2]
A cup tucked into fallen leaves
The female usually builds on the ground, sinking the nest into leaf litter. Some nests sit low in shrubs or tangled vines instead. Coarse leaves, bark, and twigs surround a finer lining of grasses and rootlets. [2]
Clutches contain 2–6 eggs. Incubation lasts about 12–13 days and the nestling period about 10–12 days. Observe from the path and leave dense cover undisturbed around an occupied nesting area. [2]
Did you know?
A Closer Look at Eastern Towhees
An older name covered two species
Older field guides may use Rufous-sided Towhee for birds now separated as Eastern and Spotted Towhees. The two can still interbreed where their ranges meet. [3]
A connection to the Cowbird story
Brown-headed Cowbirds sometimes lay eggs in towhee nests, leaving towhees to raise the young. Our Cowbird guide explores this nesting strategy from the other bird's perspective. [3]
The tail can send a message
Tail fanning and flashes of white are not just identification clues for us. Towhees also use them, along with wing movements, during territorial encounters. [3]
Sources: [1] Cornell · Identification [2] Cornell · Life history [3] Cornell · Species overview
Range & Sightings
Keep Learning
Compare several photographs and listen to recordings to connect appearance with voice.