Depending on how old your field guide happens to be, you may not find this bird under this name. For many years, this bird was known as the Rufous-sided Towhee. A few years back, the folks responsible for naming birds made the decision to split into two species. The Eastern Towhee (a uncommon nester here) and the Spotted Towhee (a primarily awestern US nester which we occassionaly find here in the fall and winter.

Towhees are primarily ground birds that are most noted for scratching around under bushes and shrubs in your yard. They like sunflower and millet and are very good at the “two foot kick”.

I think they are beautiful birds but my friend’s wife says they can’t be “cute” because have a “satanic red eye”.

Perhaps their most famous feature is their song. The pneumonic is famously known as “drink your tea!” Quite often they will just sing “drink” or “drink your” but be patient, they will eventually sing the full “drink you tea”.

While they do nest in our area, they are most commonly seen and heard during early spring when the males will sing from an exposed perch. Since they do like dense underbrush, it is another species that benefits from leaving “wild areas” in your yard.

Mark McKellar

Bird of the Week: June 17, 2019