BREEDING BIRD: RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

Description: Formerly known as the Spotted Towhee, both males and females are spotted with white above and have white wing bars. White-cornered tail and wing patches are visible in flight. Juveniles show adult wing pattern but have dark streaks and spots. Habitat: Common in dense undergrowth, open woodlands, forest edges and streamside thickets. Diet: Forages on the ground, scratching with both feet together. Favors insects, grass, berries and acorns in winter. Nestlings are fed fruit and insects. Displays: From an elevated perch the male spreads tail feathers revealing white spots, raises wings and fluffs body feathers; often flashes white spots by rapidly spreading and folding tail and wings. Nest: Nests on the ground in a scratched depression. Lines cup-sized nest with leaves, grass, hair, twigs, bark and rootlets. Eggs: Creamy white to grayish, spotted with browns; slightly smaller than one inch long. Call: Notable, whining chee-ee. Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas, call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160. Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis. Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).

Indicates 5-kilometer-square areas where breeding activity has been confirmed.