Eastern Towhee

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Eastern Towhee

Conservation status

Least Concern

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Emberizidae
Genus:	Pipilo
Species:	P. erythrophthalmus

Binomial name

Pipilo erythrophthalmus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus, is a large sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been under debate in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the Spotted Towhee were considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee.

Adults have rufous sides, a white belly and a long dark tail with white edges. The eyes are red, white for birds in the southeast. Males have a dark head, upper body and tail; these parts are brown in the female.

Their breeding habitat is brushy areas across eastern North America. They nest either low in bushes or on the ground under shrubs.

Northern birds migrate to the southern United States.

There has been one record of this species as a vagrant to western Europe; a single bird in Great Britain in 1966.

These birds forage on the ground or in low vegetation. They mainly eat insects, acorns, seeds and berries.

The call is Drink your teeeee; the word "towhee" imitates this call.

1 References
2 External links
3 Further reading

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Pipilo erythrophthalmus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

[edit] External links

Eastern Towhee Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Eastern Towhee Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythropthalmus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Book

Greenlaw, J. S. 1996. Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus). In The Birds of North America, No. 262 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.

Khanna, Hitesh. (). Comparing degradation in the Eastern towhee's (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) song introduction and trill. In Advances in Ethology. Taborsky, M. [Editor], Taborsky, B. [Editor]. Advances in Ethology; Contributions to the XXV International Ethological Conference. 1997. 117. Series Information: Advances in Ethology. Vol. 32.

[edit] Thesis

Ball RM, Jr. Ph.D. (1990). The phylogeography of avian species: Observations and expectations. University of Georgia, United States -- Georgia.

Bay MD. Ph.D. (1994). Effects of area and vegetation on breeding bird communities in early successional oldfields. University of Arkansas, United States -- Arkansas.

Becker BW. Ph.D. (1981). SITE SELECTION AND NESTING SUCCESS OF OLDFIELD SONGBIRDS. Michigan State University, United States -- Michigan.

Beltz JD. Ph.D. (1964). AN ANALYSIS OF VOCALIZATIONS OF THE RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE, PIPILO ERYTHROPHTHALMUS OREGONUS (BELL). Oregon State University, United States -- Oregon.

Davis FW. Ph.D. (1968). THE EFFECTS OF DDT ON A BREEDING POPULATION OF THE RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE (PIPILO E. ERYTHROPHTHALMUS, LINNAEUS). University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States -- Massachusetts.

Dey AD. Ph.D. (2005). The importance of spatial scale and non-forest habitats in predicting occurrence of area-sensitive forest birds. Rutgers The State University of New Jersey - New Brunswick, United States -- New Jersey.

Dickinson JCJ. Ph.D. (1951). GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION IN THE TOWHEE, PIPILO ERYTHROPHTHALMUS (LINNAEUS). University of Florida, United States -- Florida.

Elekonich MM. Ph.D. (1997). Female-female territorial aggression and its hormonal control in the song sparrow. University of Washington, United States -- Washington.

Ewert DN. Ph.D. (1978). SONG OF THE RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE (PIPILO ERYTHROPHTHALMUS) ON LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK. City University of New York, United States -- New York.

Greenlaw JS. Ph.D. (1969). THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD IN THE BREEDING SYSTEM OF THE RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE,PIPILO ERYTHROPHTHALMUS (L.). Rutgers The State University of New Jersey - New Brunswick, United States -- New Jersey.

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Khanna H. Ph.D. (2000). Signal design: Songs of two sister species of birds, the eastern towhee and the spotted towhee. The Ohio State University, United States -- Ohio.

Lanham JD. Ph.D. (1997). Attributes of avian communities in early-successional, clearcut habitats in the mountains and upper piedmont of South Carolina. Clemson University, United States -- South Carolina.

Morimoto DC. Ph.D. (1989). Avian community structure and habitat relationships in the southeastern Massachusetts pine barrens. Boston University, United States -- Massachusetts.

Nelson BS. Ph.D. (2004). Channels for vocal communication in a small passerine bird. Indiana University, United States -- Indiana.

Pearson SM. Ph.D. (1991). Influence of the surrounding landscape on wintering bird communities of old-field habitats. University of Georgia, United States -- Georgia.

Skaley JE. Ph.D. (1981). CLASSIFYING AVIAN HABITAT WITH AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS. Cornell University, United States -- New York.

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Whitehead MA. Ph.D. (2003). Seasonal variation in food resource availability and avian communities in four habitat types in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Clemson University, United States -- South Carolina.

[edit] Articles

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