Green-tailed Towhee
Pipilo chlorurus
The Green-tailed Towhee is a striking western sparrow relative with olive-green wings and tail, a rufous cap, and a bold white throat, found in mountain shrublands.
- Feather type
- Contour and flight feathers, olive-green edged
- Colours
- Olive-green above with a bright rufous crown and white throat
- Bird size
- Sparrow-sized, ~18 cm
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Overview
Overview
The Green-tailed Towhee is the smallest and most brightly patterned of the North American towhees, combining olive-green flight feathers with a rufous crown and crisp white throat, a distinctive combination among sparrows of the western mountains.
- Family: New World sparrows (Passerellidae)
- Genus: Pipilo, shared with Spotted and Eastern towhees
- Named for the olive-green wash on its wings and tail, unusual among sparrows
Identifying the Feather
Feather Identification
Green-tailed Towhee feathers show olive-green edging on the wings and tail contrasting with a gray back, a bright rufous crown patch, and a white throat bordered by a dark malar stripe.
- Shape: Rounded contour feathers; tail feathers are long and olive-edged, wings show green fringing on the flight feathers
- Size: Smaller than other towhees, closer to a large sparrow
- Color pattern: Gray body plumage, olive-green wing and tail edges, rufous crown, white throat, and a white spot before the eye
- Shaft: Pale, not diagnostic
- Vs. similar species: The olive-green flight feathers combined with a rufous cap are unique among towhees and sparrows in its range, making this one of the more distinctive species to identify from feathers alone
Plumage & Molt
Plumage Details
Adults show a gray back and breast, a bright rufous crown, white throat bordered by dark stripes, and olive-green edging on the wings and tail.
- Sexes: Sexes are similar in appearance
- Juveniles: Streaked overall with a duller crown, lacking the sharp white throat, molting into adult-like plumage by late summer
- Seasonal changes: Minimal seasonal color change in adults
- Molt: Complete molt after breeding, generally on or near the breeding grounds
Habitat & Range
Habitat & Range
Green-tailed Towhees breed in shrubby mountain habitats and winter in similar brushy terrain farther south.
- Range: Breeds in the interior mountains of the western United States; winters from the southwestern US into Mexico
- Habitat: Sagebrush flats, mountain chaparral, and dense shrub thickets, often near forest edge
- Migratory status: Medium-distance migrant, moving between higher-elevation breeding areas and lower desert wintering grounds
Behavior & Field Notes
Behavior & Field Notes
Green-tailed Towhees forage on the ground under dense shrub cover, scratching through litter for food and staying low except when singing.
- Diet: Seeds and insects gleaned from the ground and low shrubs
- Nesting: Builds a cup nest low in dense shrubs, often sagebrush
- Voice: A rich, varied song combining whistles, trills, and buzzy notes; call is a distinctive catlike mew
- Field notes: Often located by its mewing call before being seen skulking beneath sagebrush or chaparral
Frequently asked questions
What is distinctive about Green-tailed Towhee feathers?
The olive-green edging on the wings and tail, paired with a bright rufous crown and clean white throat, is unique among towhees in its range.
What habitat does the Green-tailed Towhee use?
It breeds in mountain sagebrush and shrub habitats and winters in similar brushy terrain farther south, including desert scrub.
Does the Green-tailed Towhee migrate?
Yes, it is a medium-distance migrant that moves from higher-elevation breeding grounds to lower desert wintering areas.
What call does the Green-tailed Towhee make?
It gives a distinctive catlike mewing call, often the first clue to its presence in dense shrub cover.
Green-tailed Towhee guides
In-depth guides for identifying and understanding Green-tailed Towhee.
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