Bird Guide

Green-tailed Towhee vs Spotted Towhee

Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorurus)

Green-tailed Towhee

Pipilo chlorurus

Small29 gShrubland

The green-tailed towhee is about 18 cm (7.1 in) long and weighs on average about 29 g (1.0 oz). Though the sexes have essentially the same plumage, females tend to be slightly duller than males. Adults have a reddish brown crown, a white spot above the lores, and a white "moustache" and throat on an otherwise gray head. Their hindneck, back, and scapulars are yellowish olive with grayish olive edges on the feathers. Their rump and uppertail coverts are grayish olive. Their tail is mostly greenish to yellow-green with olive brown edges on most feathers. Voice: One description of the green-tailed towhee's song is a "very high varied tjip drip threeeeh witwitwit- ending in a fast rattle". Another calls it a "series of clear, whistled notes, preceded by a rather drawn-out weet-chur and ending with a raspy trill". The species also makes a "catlike ascending meeoow.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Lorie Shaull · CC BY 2.0
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

Spotted Towhee

Pipilo maculatus

Small39 gForest

The spotted towhee is a large New World sparrow, roughly the same size as a gray catbird. It has a long, dark, fan-shaped tail with white corners on the end. It has a round body (similar to New World sparrows) with bright red eyes and dull pink legs. The spotted towhee is between 17 cm (6.7 in) and 21 cm (8.3 in) long, and weighs in at between 33 g (1.2 oz) and 49 g (1.7 oz). It has a wingspan of 28 cm (11 in). Adult males have a generally darker head, upper body and tail with a white belly, rufous sides, white spots on their back and white wing bars.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Diana Doyle · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Becky Matsubara from Contra Costa County, California · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Green-tailed Towhee and Spotted Towhee.