Eastern Towhees Calling in the Forest
Posted on in Recent Sightings by Hawk Mountain
The familiar calls of the Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) are ringing in the sunny springtime weather here at Hawk Mountain!
Among the largest members of the sparrow family, the eastern towhee’s name comes from their tow-hee call, but they make several other vocalizations including ticking alarm calls and a metallic trilling song. Eastern towhees spend the winter in the southeast US and complete a short migration to breed in the northeastern states. The Spotted Towhee displays a similar migratory behavior in the western US, but with no range overlap. Visitors can see Eastern Towhees at Hawk Mountain all summer—keep an eye out for a striking tricolor sparrow foraging in the leaf litter. Males are mostly black on top, females brown, and box sexes have rusty red sides with white bellies.
Photo by Bill Moses.