Eastern Towhee

I Am Not Crazy… Well, Maybe I Am But You Got To Love Me.

July 14, 2016 — 9 Comments

Eastern Towhee 1

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 250.

Eastern Towhee

Why was the math textbook so sad?

He had a lot of problems!

Interesting Fact: The Eastern Towhee and the very similar Spotted Towhee of western North America used to be considered the same species, the Rufous-sided Towhee. The two forms still occur together in the Great Plains, where they sometimes interbreed. This is a common evolutionary pattern in North American birds – a holdover from when the great ice sheets split the continent down the middle, isolating birds into eastern and western populations that eventually became new species. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Towhee/lifehistory )

So They Say Orange Is The New Black, What If I’m Both?!

April 26, 2016 — 25 Comments

Eastern Towhee

F/6.3, 1/40, ISO 400.

Eastern Towhee

What did the bird say after his cage fell apart?

“Cheap, cheap!”

Interesting Fact: Eastern Towhees are common victims of the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird. Female cowbirds lay eggs in towhee nests, then leave the birds to raise their cowbird young. In some areas cowbirds lay eggs in more than half of all towhee nests. Towhees, unlike some other birds, show no ability to recognize or remove the imposter’s eggs. Female cowbirds typically take out a towhee egg when laying their own, making the swap still harder to notice. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Towhee/lifehistory )

 

Just Tweeting Around Town!

April 23, 2015 — 14 Comments

American Redstart

F/6.3, 1/100, ISO 1600.

Eastern Towhee 
Day 113 / 365

What do you give a sick bird?
Tweetment!

Interesting Fact: Eastern Towhees tend to be pretty solitary, and they use a number of threat displays to tell other towhees they’re not welcome. You may see contentious males lift, spread, or droop one or both wings, fan their tails, or flick their tails to show off the white spots at the corners. Studies have shown that male towhees tend to defend territories many times larger than needed simply to provide food.  ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Towhee/lifehistory )