The Eastern Towhee is a large sparrow found in eastern North America. With its black hood, reddish sides, and bright white belly, the Eastern Towhee has a very distinctive appearance. If you’ve seen an Eastern Towhee before, you may find yourself wondering what other birds look similar. In this article, we’ll take a look at some birds that share visual characteristics with the Eastern Towhee and could potentially be confused with this species.
Birds With Black Hoods/Heads
One of the most recognizable features of the Eastern Towhee is its black head and throat. This striking black hood sets it apart from most other backyard birds. Here are some birds that also have predominantly black heads:
American Robin
The familiar American Robin has a black head and throat, contrasting with its gray back and reddish-orange breast. However, the American Robin is quite larger than the Eastern Towhee and lacks white spots on its wings and tail. Robins are found throughout North America.
Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhees are close relatives of Eastern Towhees found in western North America. Although they have similar body shapes and coloring, Spotted Towhees have white spots on their black wings and back instead of just on the tail. Their call notes also sound different than Eastern Towhees.
Hooded Oriole
The Hooded Oriole is a striking black and yellow oriole found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Males have a bold black hood and bib, with bright yellow underparts. Females are duller in coloration. Hooded Orioles are smaller and slimmer than Eastern Towhees.
Scott’s Oriole
Like the Hooded Oriole, male Scott’s Orioles have black heads and bibs contrasting with yellow underparts. Their range is limited to the southwestern United States. Scott’s Orioles are smaller than Eastern Towhees and have longer, pointed bills.
Rusty Blackbird
The all-black male Rusty Blackbird bears some resemblance to the Eastern Towhee. However, Rusty Blackbirds are smaller with thinner bills and have pale yellow eyes. Females are dark gray-brown rather than reddish brown. They breed in northern swamps and winter in the southeastern United States.
Birds With Reddish Brown and White Coloring
In addition to its black hood, the Eastern Towhee has a reddish brown back and white belly. Here are some other birds with similar reddish brown and white coloring:
Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrows are large, chunky sparrows like Eastern Towhees. They have reddish-brown upperparts, gray faces, and boldly-streaked underparts. Their tails are longer and not as marked with white. Fox Sparrows breed in forests across North America.
Song Sparrow
The widespread Song Sparrow shows some similarities to the Eastern Towhee in its streaked breast and brown back with a gray face. However, Song Sparrows are much smaller and slimmer with shorter tails. Their streaking covers the entire underparts.
Canyon Towhee
Closely related to the Eastern Towhee, the Canyon Towhee of the southwestern United States is nearly identical in appearance. Canyon Towhees have browner upperparts though and lack the black spotting on their belly. Their songs differ as well.
California Towhee
Another southwestern relative, the California Towhee looks very much like an Eastern Towhee. California Towhees have duller brown coloring, lack white tail spots, and have a different song. Hybridization occurs where their ranges overlap with Canyon Towhees.
Green-tailed Towhee
The Green-tailed Towhee of western North America is essentially a hybrid species between Eastern and Spotted Towhees. They have traits of both like the Spotted Towhee’s white-spotted black back but the solid rusty coloring of the Eastern Towhee.
Birds With White Tail Spots
One of the defining field marks of the Eastern Towhee are the conspicuous white spots on the corners of its tail. These white tail spots are helpful for identification. Here are some other birds that share this feature:
Spotted Towhee
As mentioned earlier, the related Spotted Towhee also has white spots on its tail. The location of the tail spots on Spotted Towhees differs though – they have spots near the middle of their tail instead of the corners.
Vesper Sparrow
The Vesper Sparrow is a slender, medium-sized sparrow of open fields and grasslands. Adults have white outer tail feathers that flash as they fly. This helps distinguish them from the similarly brown-streaked Lark Sparrow.
Lark Sparrow
Lark Sparrows are aptly named for their melodious song. They have bold white and black streaks on their underparts and pale outer tail feathers like the Vesper Sparrow. However, their white tail spots are much smaller and less obvious.
Dark-eyed Junco
While quite different overall from an Eastern Towhee, the common Dark-eyed Junco shares the feature of white outer tail feathers. This helps identify the junco in flight when only its tail is visible.
Birds With Rufous Coloring
The rufous or reddish-brown upperparts of the Eastern Towhee can help distinguish it from other black-and-white birds. Here are some other birds that share the Eastern Towhee’s rufous coloring:
Rufous-sided Towhee
This species was formerly considered conspecific with the Eastern Towhee. The Rufous-sided Towhee is nearly identical in appearance but has a distinct breeding range west of the Great Plains. The two were split into separate species in 1995.
American Tree Sparrow
American Tree Sparrows are small, round-bodied sparrows that breed in the Arctic and winter throughout much of the United States. They have warm reddish-brown caps and upperparts like the Eastern Towhee.
Chipping Sparrow
The common Chipping Sparrow shares the Eastern Towhee’s rusty cap and nape. Chipping Sparrows are smaller though with light underparts, gray faces, and dark eyestripes.
Clay-colored Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrows breed in open scrubby areas of the northern Great Plains. They have plain gray breasts and similar rufous caps to the Eastern Towhee. Their thin bills and facial stripes help differentiate them.
Birds With Black and White Striping
The Eastern Towhee’s black and white striped back is a notable field mark. Here are some other striped birds it could be confused with:
Downy Woodpecker
The small Downy Woodpecker has striking black and white barring down its back, similar to an Eastern Towhee. The woodpecker’s vertical posture, short tail, and chisel-like bill help identify it.
Hairy Woodpecker
Like the Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpeckers have ladder-like black and white stripes down their backs. Hairy Woodpeckers are much larger though with a heavier chisel bill.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
The Red-bellied Woodpecker also shows black and white barring on its back. However, it is distinguished by its red cap and nape and red belly patch.
Eastern Phoebe
The Eastern Phoebe is a small flycatcher with subtle black and white striping on its back and tail. It pumps its tail steadily while perched. It is much smaller than an Eastern Towhee with different vocalizations.
Carolina Wren
Carolina Wrens have faint black barring on their wings and tan upperparts overlaid with black streaks. Their bold white eyebrow stripe, long tail, and vocal behavior distinguish them from Eastern Towhees.
Birds With Oversized Dark Bills
Eastern Towhees have thick, rounded dark bills. These large bills help them crack into seeds and fruits. Here are some other birds with big dark bills:
Northern Cardinal
Male Northern Cardinals have prominent red bills that complement their red plumage. Females have dull orange-red bills. Their conical bill shape differs from the Eastern Towhee’s wider bill.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a larger relative of the Eastern Towhee with a similar large dark bill. However, grosbeaks have thicker necks and more massive bills specialized for cracking hard seeds.
Evening Grosbeak
The yellow and black Evening Grosbeak has a huge cone-shaped bill, even thicker than a Rose-breasted’s. It uses this bill to pry seeds out of conifer cones.
Common Grackle
The long, laterally-flattened bill of the Common Grackle may appear somewhat similar to an Eastern Towhee’s at first glance. However, grackles have slimmer bodies and longer legs and tails.
Red-winged Blackbird
Male Red-winged Blackbirds have thicker bills than female blackbirds. Their conical bill shape doesn’t match the Eastern Towhee’s broad bill though.
Boat-tailed Grackle
The Boat-tailed Grackle is a large, lanky blackbird of coastal marshes. Males have bigger bills than females but with the typical grackle bill shape.
Birds With Similar Body Shape and Proportions
The Eastern Towhee has a characteristic body shape – round and plump with a long tail. Here are some other birds built along the same lines:
Spotted Towhee
With its rotund body, long rounded tail, and short wings, the Spotted Towhee shares the classic towhee silhouette.
California Towhee
Like the Spotted Towhee, the California Towhee has the expected towhee body shape – a round, full body and long tail.
Rufous-sided Towhee
The Rufous-sided Towhee is essentially identical in shape and proportions to the Eastern Towhee, given their close relationship.
Ovenbird
The chunky Ovenbird has a round, full body with a short neck and longish tail. Their body proportions vaguely resemble an Eastern Towhee’s.
Hermit Thrush
Hermit Thrushes have plump, rounded bodies and long tails characteristic of thrushes. In shape, they somewhat resemble enlarged Eastern Towhees.
Wood Thrush
Like other thrushes, the Wood Thrush is stocky with a round body, short neck, and fairly long tail. Their spots and coloring differ from the Eastern Towhee though.
Species that Make Up Mixed Flocks with Eastern Towhees
Eastern Towhees sometimes join mixed flocks with other bird species in winter. Here are birds they can be seen associating with:
White-throated Sparrow
White-throated Sparrows often join Eastern Towhee winter flocks. They forage in similar scrubby habitats.
Song Sparrow
Song Sparrows are frequent winter companions of the Eastern Towhee. Both species tend to remain hidden in thickets as they forage.
Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrows commonly flock alongside Eastern Towhees in winter thickets and woodland edges.
American Tree Sparrow
American Tree Sparrows join Eastern Towhees and other sparrows when they migrate south for winter.
Carolina Wren
The loud vocalizations of Carolina Wrens often stand out in winter flocks that contain Eastern Towhees and sparrows.
Brown Thrasher
As scrubby habitat specialists, Brown Thrashers frequently associate with Eastern Towhees in winter flocks.
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Bluebirds are sometimes found mixed in with winter flocks of Eastern Towhees and sparrows.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warblers flock alongside Eastern Towhees and other birds when feeding on winter berries.
Summary Comparison
To summarize some key differences between Eastern Towhees and look-alike species:
| Species | Key Differing Characteristics |
|---|---|
| American Robin | Larger size, lacks wing spots, reddish breast |
| Spotted Towhee | White spots on back and wings, western range |
| Fox Sparrow | Gray face, longer tail, boldly streaked breast |
| Song Sparrow | Smaller, slimmer, streaked underparts |
| Rusty Blackbird | Smaller with yellow eyes, females gray-brown |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Gray hood, smaller with rounde tail, white outer tail feathers |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Black and red shoulder patches (male), conical bill |
| Downy Woodpecker | Black and white striping on wings only, vertical posture, chisel bill |
| Eastern Phoebe | Subtler striping, smaller with different posture, pumps tail |
Conclusion
With its distinctive black, rusty brown, and white plumage, the Eastern Towhee has few lookalikes over most of its range. However, in the southwestern United States, spotting the difference between an Eastern and a Spotted or Canyon Towhee takes some awareness. And Eastern Towhees do share some visual characteristics like black hoods, white tail spots, and stocky proportions with more distantly related species. Overall though, the Eastern Towhee’s combined traits make it unlikely to be confused with other birds once you become familiar with it.
