A very special visitor. April 16, 2009
Posted by ourfriendben in critters, homesteading, wit and wisdom.Tags: Eastern towhee, rufous-sided towhee, towhee
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There are birds that everybody loves: cardinals, bluebirds, goldfinches, hummingbirds. There are birds that some of us love, some of us revere, and others fear: eagles, hawks, owls, falcons. There are birds that people either love or hate: the wild geese, vultures, pigeons, grackles. And then there are the birds that most people don’t pay much attention to, but that somehow work their way into your particular heart and stay there. For our friend and fellow blog contributor Richard Saunders, it’s the junco. For our friend Ben, it’s the towhee.
Our friend Ben’s love affair with towhees began back in my Nashville childhood. Eastern towhees (formerly the rufous-sided towhee, a far more descriptive name) would arrive in our yard about the same time as the robins. And you might initially mistake one for a robin, because what you see at first is a dark-backed bird with a red breast. But a closer look shows you the difference: Where the robin is simply brown and red, a male towhee is a dapper fellow, with a black back, red sides, and a white belly. (Females have brown backs, red sides, and white bellies.) The towhee’s tail also sports white racing stripes down each side underneath, an identifying mark when in flight.
The natty towhee is also smaller than a robin, at 7 1/2 inches to the robin’s 10 inches. But what it lacks in stature in makes up for in nomenclature: The towhee’s genus name is Pipilo, while the poor robin’s is Turdus. (Our friend Ben thinks the robins should bring a class action against ornithological taxonomists.)
But it’s not just the towhees’ handsome appearance that endeared them to our friend Ben. They also have the most distinctive and humorous feeding behavior. Towhees search for food in leaf litter, sort of an issue when you don’t have hands or garden forks to turn the litter for you so you can see what’s hiding in there. To compensate, the towhees use their feet as mini-garden forks: Keeping both feet together, they do a funny little backwards hop while pulling a layer of litter back with their claws. As they feed, they repeat this little dance over and over. It’s a lot of fun to watch.
When we moved to Pennsylvania, our friend Ben was devastated to discover that there were no towhees among the many avian visitors to Hawk’s Haven, the rural cottage home Silence Dogood and I share. Apparently there had been towhees in the area at one time, but Northeastern populations had declined by a dreadful 90% before our arrival in the area. And so year followed towhee-less year.
Until today. Our friend Ben was looking into the backyard, idly scanning the daffodils through the fog, when I saw a smallish robin in front of our firepit. We’ve had lots of robins for about a month now, so it took me a moment to actually register what I was seeing. This robin was not only small, but it was dark. Its back was black, not brown. And—yes!!!—there was its white belly under the red sides. Then, as if to prove its identity beyond doubt, it began to hop backwards.
Our friend Ben hopes that it brought a mate along, and that they’re setting up house here at Hawk’s Haven. I hope I get to see towhees all season, and every season hereafter. But whether I do or not, today was a banner day. The towhees are back!!!
Oops, almost forgot. For those who might be wondering what Silence’s favorite bird is, I confess, I’ve never asked her. But I suspect it’s the stinkbug. (Just kidding, Silence! Ow! Owwww!!!!)
What a sweet profile of the towhee. Do you think the decline of towhees could be explained by shrinking forage area? Areas of leaf litter are very scarce even in the suburbs.
That’s an interesting theory, lzyjo! Today’s chemical-doused, super-manicured lawns would discourage any bird, much less a towhee that thrives on leaf litter. It wouldn’t surprise me at all!
That is good news! Hopefully there is a female. it is fun to watch them hop about dislodging the leaves…They seem to like this garden; there’s plenty of leaf litter for them to dance about and play! Occasionally a male picks a fight with his reflection in the side view mirror on my car. gail
I hope so too, Gail! Our male cardinals are always bashing themselves against our home office windows. Boom! Boom! Fortunately, they never seem to do it hard enough to hurt themselves. But it doesn’t say anything good about their IQs!
How exciting and what good news!! Today’s issue of the Old Farmer’s Almanac was arrived in my inbox with great instructions on making your backyard friendly to birds.
My favorite is the titmouse. Their perky little faces always cheer me. I’m going to post some (poor) shots I got of a little bird in Louisiana. I haven’t been able to figure out what it is yet.
I love titmice too, Becca! Such cute yet fearless little birds! I’ll check out your photos and see what I can see!
Towhees remain here all year. In the spring he has territorial battles with his reflection in my dining room window.
Lucky, lucky you (for the year-round residence, not the window-bashing)! You’d think after a few crashes males would learn to avoid the big guy in the window, but nothing ever seems to stop them!
I’m so happy you have your towhees back. We get them here occasionally, but not often. My favorite is not a particular bird, but it is whatever I haven’t seen before. I get all excited to find a bird that has never visited my home before. This year it is the Carolina Wren. I know they are fairly common birds farther south, but they are much less common up here. We are near the edge of their range. This year I’ve seen one on and off for the last couple of weeks building a nest. They aren’t particularly flashy birds, but they do sing prettily all day long.
We get Carolina wrens here, too, Daphne, but not all that often, either. I was very excited when one overwintered and then began loudly singing his courtship song earlier this spring. Now all is quiet, which I hope means that there are nestlings being raised!
I love the white bellies on these! They stay here all year. One bird I miss is the purple martin. There are conservation efforts that have been going on here for a while. There is a very small population in this area.
Lucky you, Curmudgeon! As for purple martins, because this is a rural area, I see those purple martin condos up at almost every farm. (My favorites are the clusters of white-painted gourds.) But I can’t swear that I’ve ever seen a purple martin!
They are beautiful birds. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one around here.
I can imagine how thrilled you must be, and I hope there’s a nest and some offspring soon!
Thanks, Linda! I hope so, too! And maybe some will come and visit you before too long, too!
I don’t know towhees, so they sound extra-charming to me. We may well have them but unless one came to the door and introduced itself, I wouldn’t know, because I’m awful at recognizing birds beyond the basics. Though I did sit and watch a cormorant tonight on the shore below Fort Point Lighthouse, and that was pretty awesome.
Cormorants are awesome, Jodi! What a thrilling encounter!
Get him Silence.
Yow! Owwww!!!
WoW! 2 that we actually get and I believe stay year round – not sure about the Towhee but the Junco does. I’ve never watched the Towhee eat but now I’m going to pay better attention. I’m usually trying to get his picture so I have watched him – just not eating I guess. Thanks for the great info. Linda
Thanks, Linda, and lucky you, with juncos (and maybe towhees) year-’round! Given how dark towhees are, and that they’re drawn to dark litter, I’d imagine it’s not easy to take a good picture!
Hi OFB, that is so wonderful. We see them here in the fall and winter. I wonder if they are from PA? Watching the little hopping movement is a delight too. We had fewer last winter for some reason. Could the drought have anything to do with that? I am so happy for you.
Frances
Thanks, Frances! I was really thrilled. I used to see them in our Tennessee yard every year, and I don’t know where they came from. Maybe I should consult with our birding expert Rudy and see if I can get some answers!