Bird guide · Melozone fusca
Canyon Towhee
What the canyon 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
- 8.5 in (21.5 cm)
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- New Mexico, Arizona, Texas
Food
What do canyon towhees eat?
Feeds on the ground, often under logs, bushes or parked cars.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Season
Does the canyon towhee migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in August.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are canyon towhees, by month.
Identification
How to identify the canyon towhee
Adults: Pale greyish-brown with a reddish-brown cap and a dark central chest spot.
Size: 8.5 in (21.5 cm)
Easily confused with
- California Towhee – no chest spot; ranges do not overlap
On camera
Getting the canyon 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
Canyon Towhee: questions
Do canyon towhees migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in August.
Where do canyon towhees live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware.
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