Abert's towhee

This bird is common in brushy riparian habitats in the Lower Sonoran desert zone but may require some effort to see as it prefers to stay well-hidden under bushes. Though threatened by cowbird nest parasitism and habitat loss, it has successfully colonized suburban environments in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area and may be fairly easily seen on the campus of Arizona State University. Despite its limited range, it is classified as a species of least concern in the IUCN Redlist, and there has been some range expansion along the Santa Cruz River as well as in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.

The Abert's towhee is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Abert's Towhee (Pipilo aberti) is a bird of the family Emberizidae, native to a small range in southwestern North America, generally the lower Colorado River and Gila River watersheds, nearly endemic to Arizona, but also present in small parts of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Sonora in Mexico. This bird is common in brushy riparian habitats in the Lower Sonoran desert zone but may require some effort to see as it prefers to stay well-hidden under bushes. More

* The Abert's Towhee has one of the smallest total distributions of any U.S. birds species, making it much sought after by birders who travel to the Southwest desert to observe it. * The are an inconspicuous bird because they forage in thick undergrowth and rarely fly any great distance. More

A very large sparrow, Abert's Towhee inhabits riparian corridors in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Plain and rather secretive, Abert's Towhee stays in its breeding range year-round. More

species, the Abert's Towhee is much sought after by birders who must travel to the desert Southwest to observe it. The greatest threat to the species in its limited range is the continued loss and fragmentation of its preferred desert riparian habitat. Abert's Towhee is often a rather inconspicuous bird because it forages in thick understory and seldom flies any great distance. Identification Abert's Towhee is a large, plain sparrow with a long, rounded tail. More

Abert's Towhee: Found primarily in the Colorado and Gila River valleys in Arizona and parts of California, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico. Generally prefers desert riparian and desert wash habitats. Preferred habitat includes dense vegetation, including thickets of willow, cottonwood, mesquite, and saltcedar; also found in cities or suburbs in exotic plantings. More

Abert's Towhee - Illustration by Bill Singleton Abert's Towhee Pipilo aberti The Abert's towhee is a large sparrow with gray-brown upper parts and pinkish-brown underparts. The face is dark brown with a light bill. Unlike many birds, the plumage between the sexes is identical. Habitat: The Abert's towhee is found in mesquite bosques and cottonwood-willow associations with an understory of dense shrubs. More

The Abert's Towhee is grayish brown above with slightly paler underparts, buff belly and tawny undertail. It also has a black facial patch that surrounds its pale bill. The Abert's Towhee scratches in leaves on the ground, searching for seeds and insects. It builds a bulky nest, usually near the ground in low shrubs such as mesquite, elder, ash, umbrella trees or arrowweed and occasionally in trees up to 30 feet above the ground. More

Bent Life History for the Abert's Towhee - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. ABERTS TOWHEE PIPILO ABERTI Baird (The following subspecies are discussed in this section:Pipilo aberti aberti Baird and P. a. dumeticolus van Rossem.) HABITS Contributed by WILLIAM R. More

inconspicuous brown and Abert's towhees in the West. The green-tailed towhee is a western mountain bird. The various species of towhees all belong to the genus Pipilo. Towhees are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Fringillidae. - Word Tutor: towhee - Top Home > Library > Literature & Language > Word Tutorpronunciation IN BRIEF: n. - Any of numerous long-tailed American finches. More

Distribution: The Abert's towhee, Pipilo aberti, breeds in southwestern North America, in extreme southwestern Utah south along the Virgin and Colorado Rivers to Nevada, along the lower Colorado River of California and Mexico, and in the Gila River drainage of southern Utah and southwestern New Mexico (A.O.U. 1998). In Utah, Abert's towhee occurs along the Virgin River drainage south of LaVerkin, and the Santa Clara River drainage south of Gunlock (Tweit and Finch 1994). More