"Drink your teaaa!" You might need to take a second look if you hear this birdsong while walking near a forest or old field. This assertive bird isn't easy to spot. But when you learn its call it can be easy to find if you're in the right place!
The Eastern Towhee sparrow, a "bird of the undergrowth," prefers to search for food among leaf litter or in thick underbrush. Though they do sing in the open, their preferred stage is usually a shrub or low tree, and you may only catch a glimpse of them through tangled stems.
You're more likely to hear one than to see one! Listen for rustling and scratching that is louder than expected for a small bird. The Eastern Towhee scratches up leaves using both feet simultaneously in a backward hop. If he spots you, he might alert other birds with an alarm call that, unlike his tea-drinking song, sounds like a rising "tow-hee!"
They are worth seeing, with black backs and breasts, reddish sides, and white bellies. They are larger and heavier than song sparrows, with a sparrow's typical triangular beak.
Year-round, they can be seen in the Southeastern United States. For summer breeding, they may travel north, though they stay on the continent's eastern edge.
Eastern Towhees are omnivores, enjoying snails and spiders as much as seeds, fruit, and flower buds. They don't actually drink tea!
Their population increased in the mid-20th century as farming declined and fields were left to grow. However, construction and the overgrowth of shrublands by forests have made the landscape less suitable for Eastern Towhee sparrows.
Birds of North America
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