Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 8.3–9.1 in
21–23 cm - Wingspan
- 11 in
28 cm - Weight
- 1.4–1.9 oz
40–54 g
Other Names
- Tohi d'Abert (French)
- Rascador desertico, Toquí Abert (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Abert's Towhee pairs generally remain bonded for life.
- Mitochondrial DNA analysis indicates that of the three brown towhees of the American Southwest, California and Abert's are the most closely related, even though California and Canyon towhees were once considered a single species.
- Abert's Towhee was named by Spencer Baird in 1852 for Lt. James William Abert, who obtained the first specimen.
Habitat
Deserts
Cottonwood and willow woodlands, with dense shrubs, along desert streams and rivers.
Food
Insects
Insects and seeds.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–4 eggs
- Egg Description
- Pale blue with brown markings concentrated on the large end.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless.
Nest Description
A large open cup of leaves, bark, and weed stems, located in trees or shrubs.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Ground Forager
Scratches on the ground; sometimes probes bark on low trunks like a nuthatch.
Conservation
Least Concern
Habitat loss has evidently led to widespread reduction in Abert's Towhee populations in most of its historical range.
Credits
- Tweit, R. C., and D. M. Finch. 1994. Abert's Towhee (Pipilo aberti). In The Birds of North America, No. 111 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.