Perching

Spotted Towhee

Pipilo maculatus
Spotted Towhee thumbnail
Length: 9 in. (22 cm )
Often found scratching noisily in leaf litter in dense shrubbery, chaparral and forest edges, the Spotted Towhee will sometimes come out in the open and sing from the top of an exposed bush. It eats seeds, grass stems and fallen fruits it finds on the soil surface. The nest is a depression in the ground under dense tangles. Cowbirds often use this towhee as a host for their eggs and young.

The four-digit banding code is SPTO.

Male | Robert Shantz



Chaparral

Oak-pine woodland

Savanna

Shrubs
Download Sound
Bird Sound Type: Twittering
Sex of Bird: Male
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Bird Sound Type: Chirping
Sex of Bird: Male
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View Citation

You may need to edit author's name to meet the style formats, which are in most cases "Last name, First name."

Bibliographic details:

  • Article: Spotted Towhee
  • Author(s): Dr. Biology
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: July 13, 2017
  • Date accessed: January 13, 2025
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/spotted-towhee

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (2017, July 13). Spotted Towhee. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved January 13, 2025 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/spotted-towhee

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Spotted Towhee". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 July, 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/spotted-towhee

For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/04/

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Spotted Towhee". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 13 Jan 2025. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/spotted-towhee

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
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