Bird of the Week: CLXXV
We had a newcomer to our yard last week. This is Abert’s Towhee, a sandy brown large sparrow with a black patch around its beak. My Merlin App that identifies birds by their calls had ID’d Abert’s Towhee months ago, but I had never seen him. I was excited to finally get a glimpse and have a new bird to photograph.
Abert’s Towhees mate for life and can be found in dense brush in the Sonoran Desert along lakes, streams and in urban neighborhoods. They build their nests in mesquite, cottonwood, willow and mistletoe.
Abert’s Towhee was named in 1852 for Lt. Col. James William Abert (1820–1897), a U.S. Army officer in the Topographical Engineers who obtained the first specimen during a survey of New Mexico at the end of the Mexican War.
From Audubon:
Description
Both sexes — Length: 8.3–9.5 in (21–24 cm); wingspan: 10.4–11.6 in (26–29 cm); weight: 1.5–1.9 oz (43–54 g). Slim and long-tailed. The Abert’s Towhee is warm buffy brown with a black face and a pale gray bill. Usually in denser habitats than the Canyon Towhee, and has a different voice.
RANGE:
Abert’s Towhee is a very local bird to the Sonoran Desert where I live. They are territorial and do not migrate. Here’s a map of their range:
FOOD:
Their diet consists of insects and seeds. They like beetles, ants, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and cicadas and seeds from grasses and weeds.
CALLS:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Aberts_Towhee/sounds
