Monday, July 12, 2021

Spotted Towhee

The spotted towhee is a large sparrow with a long black fan-shaped tail with white ends on the underside, bright red eyes, dull pink legs, a white belly, rufous sides, a dark head and upper body, white spots on the back and white wing bars. 

We saw several in Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, west of Santa Fe. 

It used to be known as a rufous-sided towhee along with what is now known as the eastern towhee and is considered a separate species. The eastern towhee is similar but lacks the white spots. 





1 comment:

  1. From a distance this is a distinct bird, but your up-close photos show how beautiful it really is.

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