California Towhees

Keep an eye out here for tiny, brown songbirds fluttering in the low branches. Well camouflaged, California towhees (Melozone crissalis) forage, nest, and sing in the shrubbery. Their even brown color boasts a splash of rust along their tail and around their beak. Towhees have the same short, rounded wings and thick seed-cracking beaks as sparrows but are larger and bulkier. Listen for their cheerful, chirpy trill while you watch them feast on wild seeds and the many local insects. Keep your distance in the spring since they’re very protective of their nests, sometimes even physically attacking intruders!