Abert's Towhee Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesAbert's Towhee
Adult
Large, ground-dwelling sparrow with a thick bill and long tail. Brown overall with warm reddish brown undertail. Pale bill contrasts with dark face.
© Paul Suchanek / Macaulay LibraryArizona, December 30, 2015Adult
Found in dry habitats with dense woody vegetation, often along streams or dry streambeds.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryArizonaNot all videos have sound
Adult
Large, long-tailed sparrow with a restricted range in brushy woodlands of the southwestern U.S. and extreme northwest Mexico.
© Ian Davies / Macaulay LibraryUtah, November 26, 2020Adult
Large sparrow with a thick bill and long tail. Brown overall with contrasting pale bill and dark face.
© Jeffrey Moore / Macaulay LibraryArizona, February 07, 2008Adult
Large, long-tailed sparrow typically found on or near the ground. The black patch around the bill is distinctive.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 13, 2006Not all videos have sound
Adult
Occurs in cottonwood, willow, and mesquite brush mainly along tributaries of the Colorado River; also found in salt cedar and marshes.
© Keith D Kamper / Macaulay LibraryArizona, December 28, 2016Adult
Often uses a "double-scratch" technique to forage, hopping backwards and scratching with both feet to uncover prey underneath litter.
© Gregory Griffith / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 01, 1995Not all videos have sound
Similar SpeciesCanyon Towhee
Adult
Canyon Towhee has a buffy tinged face, not the dark face of Abert's Towhee. Canyon lives in desert scrub whereas Abert's occurs in brushy thickets along streams.
© Etienne Artigau🦩 / Macaulay LibraryArizona, April 27, 2017Similar SpeciesCalifornia Towhee
Adult
California Towhee has very little range overlap with Abert's Towhee. California had a rusty brown face and a gray bill, not the dark face and pale bill of Abert's.
© Matt Davis / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 27, 2017Similar SpeciesRufous-crowned Sparrow
Adult
Rufous-crowned Sparrows are more strongly patterned than Abert's Towhees. They have a rusty cap and line through the eye, with a white eyering and a dark mustache stripe outlined with white.
© Doug Hitchcox / Macaulay LibraryArizona, January 23, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
New World Sparrows(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Passerellidae)
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