Spotted Towhee |
Pipilo maculatus |
Description: 7-8 1/2" Male has black head and upperparts, white underparts, bright rufous patches on flanks, female is similar but warm brown where male is black | Habitat: Woodland edges, old fields, thickets, undergrowth, brushy clearings, overgrown pastures. |
Nesting: 3-6 white eggs lightly spotted with red-brown, in a loose cup of weed stems, grass and bark, placed on or near ground in dense cover | Range: breeds from central Canada east to Maine, south to California southwest, Florida east, winters south from British Columbia to Oklahoma |
Voice: song is a cheerful, drink-your-tea!, second note lower, third note higher, calls a clear to-hee! | Diet: Including terrestrial invertebrates, grass and forb seeds, acorns (especially in winter), berries. Nestlings fed insects, some fruit. |
Notes: Very shy bird, loose winter flocks, can be seen foraging for food after snow. |
When present in Oklahoma: primarily eastern half of state in winter, eastern fourth during summer |