Bird guide · Melozone crissalis
California Towhee
What the California towhee eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 9 in (23 cm)
- Eats
- millet, seeds
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- California, Oregon
Food
What do California towhees eat?
At feeders, California towhees take millet, seeds.
Often visits feeders but forages mostly on the ground under the tray.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do California towhees live?
Pacific seaboard from southern Oregon to Baja California. By share of all bird sightings, California towhees are most common in California (1.7%).
Season
Does the California towhee migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are California towhees, by month.
Identification
How to identify the California towhee
Adults: Plain dusty brown, buffier under the tail and on the throat.
Size: 9 in (23 cm)
Easily confused with
- Canyon Towhee – ranges do not overlap; different voice
On camera
Getting the California towhee on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
California Towhee: questions
What do California towhees eat?
At feeders, millet, seeds.
Do California towhees migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Where do California towhees live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in California, Oregon. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut.
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