Eastern Towhee

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Eastern Towhee
Male Eastern Towhee.
Male Eastern Towhee.
Conservation status
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.

Eastern Towhee

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Contents

[edit] References

[edit] External links


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Female Eastern Towhee.
Female Eastern Towhee.


[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.
  • Gubanyi JA. Ph.D. (2001). Effects of high deer abundance on forests in eastern Nebraska. The University of Nebraska - Lincoln, United States -- Nebraska.
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  • Kerpez TA. Ph.D. (1994). Effects of group selection and clearcut openings on wildlife in Appalachian hardwood forests. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States -- Virginia.
  • 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.
  • Sladek BG. M.S. (2006). Timber growth and avian community responses to prescribed fire and selective herbicide in thinned, mid-rotation afforested loblolly pine plantations in Mississippi. Mississippi State University, United States -- Mississippi.
  • Thurber DK. Ph.D. (1992). Impacts of a gypsy moth outbreak on bird habitats and populations. West Virginia University, United States -- West Virginia.
  • 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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