Eastern Towhees are sparrows and an exception to the sparrow look of ‘Little Brown Jobs’.
Eastern Towhees and Spotted Towhees of the western North America were considered one species, Rufous-sided Towhee, until 1995.
Famous for their “drink-your-tea” song, a group of towhees are called a “teapot”.
Common and frequently heard across their range, but not often seen because of their solitary and secretive lifestyle, they are not as numerous as just a few short years ago. They have been suffering a population decline of 1.4% per year, 53% total, since the mid-1960s.
The causes? Do I have to ask? Let’s just say they benefit from a little less manicuring and a lot less insecticide spreading in our yards. And if cats stayed indoors.
