Canyon Towhee Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Canyon Towhees are large sparrows with fairly long tails, chunky bodies and short rounded wings. The bill is short and thick at the base, and the legs are long.

  Relative Size

  between sparrow and robin

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 8.3-9.8 in (21-25 cm)
    • Weight: 1.3-1.9 oz (37-53 g)
    • Wingspan: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)

  © Jeffrey Moore / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Overall, the Canyon Towhee is about as plain brown as birds come. They have warm rusty undertail coverts, a buffy throat and a hint of a reddish crown.

• Behavior

  Watch for Canyon Towhees scurrying along the ground from one bush to another. They scratch and peck for seeds and insects on the ground, sometimes out in the open. Males perch atop short shrubs and cacti to sing in the breeding season.
• Habitat

  Within their fairly narrow range, look for Canyon Towhees in desert grasslands with scattered dense shrubs, rocky terrain, dry watercourses with mesquite, and other dry, scrubby areas. Unlike California Towhees, they shy away from suburban neighborhoods, favoring sparsely settled and remote areas.