Eastern Towhees are sparrow-like birds found in eastern North America. They prefer brushy, shrubby habitat and can often be seen hopping along the ground searching for food. Their characteristic “drink your tea” call is a common sound in appropriate habitat across their range. But how rare or common are Eastern Towhees? Let’s take a look at some quick facts:
- Eastern Towhees are found across eastern North America from southern Canada to Florida and eastern Texas.
- They inhabit thickets, brushy areas, forest edges, and overgrown fields.
- Eastern Towhees are classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List with an estimated global population of 32 million.
- Their population appears to be stable and they are not considered rare or endangered.
So in summary, while Eastern Towhees have a limited range confined to eastern North America, they are common and widespread within that range. Their substantial population size and stable numbers mean they are not currently considered rare or at risk. However, habitat loss could potentially impact Eastern Towhees in the future.
Eastern Towhee Range and Habitat
As mentioned above, Eastern Towhees are found across eastern North America. Their breeding range extends from southern Ontario east to southern Quebec and south to Florida. Their western range reaches eastern Texas. They can be found year-round throughout much of their eastern range but northern breeders migrate south for the winter.
Eastern Towhees inhabit a variety of brushy habitats including:
- Thickets
- Overgrown fields
- Forest and swamp edges
- Regenerating clearcuts
- Power line corridors
- Residential yards and parks with bushy borders
They generally prefer habitats with dense low growth rather than open understory. This provides cover while allowing them to hop along the ground searching for food.
Eastern Towhee Population and Conservation Status
Eastern Towhees have an extremely large population estimated at around 32 million birds. Partners in Flight estimates their global breeding population at 32 million with 95% spending some part of the year in the U.S. (30 million). Their population appears to be stable.
Due to their large and steady numbers, Eastern Towhees are considered a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are not considered rare, threatened or endangered. Their habitat preferences allow them to adapt well to human altered environments like regenerating forests and overgrown edges.
However, Eastern Towhees are still vulnerable to threats like:
- Habitat loss from development and urbanization
- Invasive species that degrade native shrub habitat
- Climate change affecting their breeding and wintering grounds
Ongoing habitat conservation and management will be important to ensure Eastern Towhees remain common across their range. But for now, they are in no danger of rarity.
Eastern Towhee Identification
Eastern Towhees are medium-sized sparrows about 7.5-9.5 inches in length with a wingspan around 11 inches. They have a long dark tail with white corners. Adults have rufous flanks contrasting with a black back, tail, and head. Their bellies are white. Eastern Towhees exhibit sexual dimorphism so males and females look somewhat different.
Male Eastern Towhees have a black head, back, wings, and tail with rufous sides. Their eyes are red.
Female Eastern Towhees have a brown head, back, wings, and tail with the same rufous sides as males. Their eyes are dark brown.
Both sexes have a conspicuous white belly and white spots on the corners of their tails. Juveniles resemble females but are streakier overall and lack strong rufous coloring.
Eastern Towhees can be confused with Spotted Towhees in the western U.S. Spotted Towhees have white spots on their backs whereas Eastern Towhees do not.
Eastern Towhee Song and Sounds
The song of the Eastern Towhee is a loud, ringing “drink your teeeeea” call. They also make a sharp “chwink” call often given in pairs. Other sounds include a high-pitched “tsee tsee tsee”, steady trilling, and chips.
Eastern Towhee calls are loud and carry far through their dense brushy habitat. Learning their vocalizations makes them easy to detect and identify. Their characteristic “drink your tea” song is a familiar sound across much of eastern North America.
Here is a brief guide to identifying Eastern Towhee vocalizations:
- “Drink your teeeeea” – Song often repeated
- “Chwink” or “Chwink-chwink” – Harsh call note
- High thin “tsee” – Given in series when alarmed
- Trilling series of notes
- Chips and cheeps
Eastern Towhee Behavior
Eastern Towhees are often heard before they are seen since they spend much of their time on or near the ground hidden in dense vegetation. They hop along the ground stirring up litter with both feet as they search for food. Towhees will fly up into bushes and small trees but are most frequently observed on the ground.
Eastern Towhees are solitary birds that maintain defined territories during the breeding season. They are not usually seen in pairs or family groups outside of the breeding season. Males defend territories and attract females with their loud song.
Food-wise, Eastern Towhees are omnivorous but focus most of their foraging on finding seeds, acorns, fruits, and insects on the ground. They also sometimes visit bird feeders. Eastern Towhees may excavate dirt baths in soft ground.
In terms of migration, northern populations migrate south in winter while southern birds are mostly year-round residents. Some northern breeders only migrate short distances south.
Eastern Towhee Nesting and Reproduction
Eastern Towhees form monogamous breeding pairs during the spring and summer. The female chooses a nest site in a shrub or dense tangle of vines and builds the nest from leaves, bark, and grasses. She constructs a cup-shaped nest typically 1-3 feet above ground.
The female lays 3-5 eggs which are whitish with brown spotting. She incubates the eggs for 12-14 days while the male defends the territory and brings her food. The chicks hatch blind and helpless but develop quickly, leaving the nest at 10-12 days old. The parents continue caring for and feeding the fledglings on the ground for several weeks as they become independent.
Eastern Towhees normally have one brood per season. Pairs will re-nest if the first attempt fails. The female builds a new nest and lays another clutch. Nest success rates are typically around 40%. Predation is the main cause of nest failures. Brown-headed cowbirds may parasitize Eastern Towhee nests.
Eastern Towhee Diet
Eastern Towhees are omnivorous ground foragers eating a varied diet of seeds, fruits, acorns, and invertebrates. Their daily foraging typically involves scratching through leaf litter searching for food. Their diet consists of:
- Seeds – Common foods include ragweed, grasses, sedge, smartweed, knotweed, dock
- Grains – Corn, oats, sorghum, wheat
- Berries – Raspberries, chokecherries, sumac, dogwood, Virginia creeper, pokeweed
- Acorns
- Insects – Beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, caterpillars, snails
Eastern Towhees visit both ground and elevated bird feeders. They mainly eat larger seeds at feeders including sunflower seeds, cracked corn, millet. They also occasionally eat suet. Providing food at ground level can attract towhees.
Their stout beaks allow them to crack open seeds and nuts. And their scratching behavior helps them uncover food items hidden in the litter. Eastern Towhees get most of their water from their food but will visit bird baths and puddles.
Natural Predators and Threats
Due to their ground nesting habits and time spent hopping on the ground, Eastern Towhees are vulnerable to predators, especially snakes. Known nest predators include:
- Rat snakes
- Raccoons
- Blue jays
- Crows
- Squirrels
- Domestic cats
Brown-headed cowbirds sometimes parasitize towhee nests, laying their own eggs for the towhees to raise. Towhee parents may abandon parasitized nests.
Vehicles and cats pose threats to fledglings and young birds still on the ground. Habitat loss also impacts towhees by reducing suitable breeding spots and food availability.
Besides direct mortality, Eastern Towhees face threats like:
- Invasive plants crowding out native vegetation
- Pesticides reducing insect prey abundance
- Climate change and habitat shifts
Conserving brushy habitats will be key for preserving healthy Eastern Towhee populations into the future.
Eastern Towhee Population Trends
According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, Eastern Towhee populations remained relatively stable between 1966-2015. They did experience declines from 1966-1979 followed by a period of increase in 1980-2015:
- 1966-1979: Declined at a rate of -1.5% per year
- 1980-2015: Increased +0.81% per year
Their total population loss from 1966-2015 was estimated at around 13%. These declines were most pronounced in the northern parts of their range. Southern populations remained more steady.
The exact causes of the declines are unknown but hypothesized factors include:
- Habitat loss
- Increasing urbanization
- Maturation of forests beyond optimal early-successional stage
Since 2015, Breeding Bird Survey data indicates Eastern Towhee populations have been essentially stable in most regions. Christmas Bird Count data similarly shows little change in numbers over the past decade. Their abundant population size provides a buffer against declines. But continued habitat conservation will be important going forward.
Fun Facts About Eastern Towhees
Here are a few interesting facts about these widespread sparrows:
- They earned the name “towhee” from their characteristic “drink your tea” song.
- Eastern Towhees have very large territories of 2-6 acres during breeding season.
- They spend over 60% of their time foraging on the ground.
- Towhees sometimes bathe in dust to clean their feathers.
- The white spots on their tails may help flush insects for them to catch.
- They have a special digestive system to help digest seeds.
- Parent towhees may consume broken eggshells to recapture lost calcium.
Conclusion
In summary, Eastern Towhees are a fairly common bird across eastern North America. While their populations experienced some declines in the latter 1900s, they remain widespread and abundant. Their substantial numbers and ability to adapt to human landscapes means Eastern Towhees are in no danger of becoming rare or endangered. Still, conserving areas of dense shrub habitat will be important for ensuring towhees continue thriving across their range. Though not rare, Eastern Towhees remain a highlight bird for many nature enthusiasts to find in backyards and natural areas.
