Abert's Towhee Melozone aberti

Virginia Wildlife; vol. 31, no. 2. February, 1970. Cover illustration by Duane Raver Jr.

Photo: Becky Matsubara

"A widespread towhee of the West, sometimes abundant in chaparral and on brushy mountain slopes. For many years it was considered to belong to the same species as the unspotted Eastern Towhees found east of the Great Plains, under the name of Rufous-sided Towhee. The Spotted Towhee differs in the heavy white spotting on its upperparts, and its songs and callnotes are more variable and much harsher in tone. It often is first noticed because of the sound of its industrious scratching in the leaf-litter under dense thickets."

California Towhee Fullerton Arboretum Fullerton, California, USA November, 2019

everyone was glad to be out in the warmth and sunshine