Mystery Bird: Abert's Towhee, Pipilo aberti

grrlscientist — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:59:59 +0000

tags: Abert's Towhee, Pipilo aberti, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz

~~[Mystery bird]~~ Abert's Towhee, Pipilo aberti, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]

Image: Richard Ditch, 22 February 2009 [larger view].

Date Time Original: 2009:02:22 16:36:34
Exposure Time: 1/400
F-Number: 5.60
ISO: 250

Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.

Rick Wright, author of Aimophila Adventures and Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:

A big, long-tailed, pot-bellied, heavy-billed sparrow -- aka, a towhee.

The only towhee with contrasting black lores and chin is Abert's Towhee, a true southwestern specialty, found only in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, and tiny bits of Sonora and Baja California N. This is the heaviest sparrow found in the US, a great hulking emberizid that dwarfs the Northern Cardinals with which it shared densely vegetated washes (and my bird feeders).

Review all mystery birds to date.

grrlscientist Tue, 04/14/2009 - 03:59

It's a daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus. Wait, it's Tuesday already? Never mind.

Abert's Towhee (Pipilo aberti) - note jaunty angle of the long tail (Ã la towhee), uniform brown above and below, black face and nesting material in bill, suggesting the bird is on its breeding range (which includes AZ).

Nice shot.

I know it's not the California towhee, but it sure has "towhee" written all over it!

@tomprete

For some reason, I love this pic.

Adult Abert's Towhee

Mystery Bird: Abert's Towhee, Pipilo aberti