Photos / Sounds
What
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)Observer
lindasmith1072Description
Yesterday I noticed an adult Spotted Towee (Pipilo maculatus)with three juveniles in my backyard, about 4:00pm. They were on the ground under the sunflower feeder and the adult was giving the offspring lessons in foraging. They crowded around the parent who was picking around leaves, but not using the familiar back- and- forth- with- the- feet style of finding insects. She finally led them under a nearby hedge and they followed closely. I didn’t have time to grab a camera and take photos, but there are some good shots of the juveniles on the web, and The Sibley Guide to Birds has a great illustration. They would have been difficult to ID because they have a plain brown back, beige-spotted wings and beige and brown striped breasts. No beautiful rufous sides yet!
I have a wonderful habitat for birds…Coast live oaks hang over my yard, elderly overgrown hedges bisect the lot, which is fully fenced with worn boards. Most important there are low growing shrubs into which smaller birds can flee if a predator is nearby.