From Opus

Pipilo crissalis

Photo by Leslie.
Photo taken: Newbury Park, California.

[edit] Identification

A drab, chunky, long-tailed bird of dense thickets. Both this species and its close relative the Canyon Towhee have reddish-brown undertail coverts. The California Towhee can be separated by the additional reddish-brown color on the bird's face and the faint streaking on the breast. (The Canyon Towhee has a paler face pattern with more contrast and darker spots on the breast.)

[edit] Distribution

Southern Oregon, California, and Baja California.

[edit] Taxonomy

Formerly considered conspecific with the Canyon Towhee under the name Brown Towhee.

[edit] Habitat

Dense thickets, especially near water. The California Towhee has greater tolerance for human disturbance than the Spotted Towhee and will nest in built-up areas where bushes and ground cover are present.

[edit] Behaviour

Forages in leaf litter. The bird can often be heard scratching among the leaves long before it is visible.

[edit] External Links