Bird guide · Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Eastern Towhee
What the eastern towhee eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Partial migrant
- Size
- 7.5 in (19 cm)
- Eats
- millet, seed mixes, black oil sunflower
- Feeds
- ground, tray/platform
- Most common
- Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia
Food
What do eastern towhees eat?
At feeders, eastern towhees take millet, seed mixes, black oil sunflower.
Often noticed first by the sound of it scratching in leaf litter under thickets.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do eastern towhees live?
Eastern US; many southern birds stay all year, most northern birds migrate. By share of all bird sightings, eastern towhees are most common in Georgia (2.2%).
States where eastern towhees are most common
- Georgia2.2%
- North Carolina1.9%
- West Virginia1.9%
- Tennessee1.8%
- Alabama1.5%
- Mississippi1.3%
- Kentucky1.3%
- Virginia1.1%
- South Carolina1.1%
- Pennsylvania1.0%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are eastern towhees, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the eastern towhee migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in April.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are eastern towhees, by month.
Identification
How to identify the eastern towhee
Male: Black hood and back, rusty sides, white belly stripe and big white tail corners.
Female: Same pattern, but chocolate-brown instead of black.
Size: 7.5 in (19 cm)
On camera
Getting the eastern 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
Eastern Towhee: questions
What do eastern towhees eat?
At feeders, millet, seed mixes, black oil sunflower.
Do eastern towhees migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in April.
Where do eastern towhees live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho.
What does a female eastern towhee look like?
Same pattern, but chocolate-brown instead of black.
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