Green-tailed Towhee Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Size and shape: A fairly large, long-tailed sparrow-like bird, about 7.25 inches long, with a plump body and a proportionally long tail often held cocked or slightly raised.
• Plumage: Olive-green back, wings, and tail contrast with a soft gray face and breast; a bright rufous-chestnut crown caps the head, and a crisp white throat is bordered by a dark malar stripe, creating a distinctive facial pattern.
• Bill and legs: Short, conical, grayish bill typical of sparrows; pinkish-brown legs.
• Behavior: Skulking and ground-dwelling, often heard before seen as it scratches through leaf litter beneath dense brush; when it does show itself, it may perch briefly atop a shrub to sing, then drop back into cover.

Separating It From Similar Species

• Other towhees (Spotted, Eastern, California, Canyon): None of these show the combination of an olive-green back and tail with a rufous cap; Green-tailed Towhee is unique in its genus for this plumage pattern.
• Female or immature warblers/sparrows with green tones: The larger size, long tail, distinct white throat framed by gray, and rufous crown quickly separate Green-tailed Towhee from any warbler or typical sparrow.
• Juveniles are streakier and duller but still typically show hints of the green wing edging and a paler version of the adult pattern.

Where and When to See It

• Habitat: Dense sagebrush, mountain chaparral, and shrubby thickets, typically at mid- to high elevations in summer; found in similar brushy desert and scrub habitats in winter.
• Range: Breeds through the interior mountain West of the United States, from the Rockies and Great Basin ranges into parts of the Southwest; winters mainly in the desert Southwest and northern and central Mexico.
• Season: A summer breeder at higher elevations, migrating to lower desert habitats for winter; most numerous on breeding grounds from late spring through summer.

Voice and Song Cues

• The song is a variable, sweet series of buzzy and whistled phrases, often beginning with a few clear introductory notes followed by trills, reminiscent of a mix between a towhee and a sparrow's song.
• The common call is a distinctive, cat-like or kitten-like "mew", quite different from the calls of other towhees and useful for locating the bird in dense cover.