Green-tailed Towhee

Its breeding range covers most of the interior Western United States, with a winter range in Mexico and the southern edge of the Southwestern United States.

The Green-tailed 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 Green-tailed Towhee, Pipilo chlorurus, is the smallest towhee, but is still one of the larger members of the "American sparrow" family Emberizidae. Its breeding range covers most of the interior Western United States, with a winter range in Mexico and the southern edge of the Southwestern United States. This bird can be recognized by the bright green stripes on the edge of its wings. It has a distinct white throat and a rufous cap. More

The Green-tailed Towhee has a large range, estimated globally at 1,700,000 square kilometers. Native to North America and Cuba, this bird prefers forest and shrubland ecosystems. The population is estimated to be 4,100,000 individuals globally and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. Because of this the evaluation status of the Green-tailed Towhee is Least Concern. More

Green-Tailed Towhee in Racine. Passenger Pigeon. vol 31, no 4. * Jehle G, Savidge JA & Kotliar NB. (2006). Green-tailed Towhee response to prescribed fire in montane shrubland. Condor. vol 108, no 3. p. 634-646. * Knopf FL, Sedgwick JA & Inkley DB. (1990). Regional Correspondence among Shrubsteppe Bird Habitats. Condor. vol 92, no 1. p. 45-53. More

North American RangeThe Green-tailed Towhee is gray underneath with greenish upperparts. Adults have a rufous crown and a white throat-patch. Juvenile birds are brown-and-white streaked, with a yellowish wash on their wings. More

Unusual for a towhee, the Green-tailed Towhee is completely migratory, with all individuals making nocturnal migrations each year. Individuals may spend several days to a week at each stopover site along the way. Green-tailed Towhees occupy a variety of habitats at various elevations. Regrowing vegetation in areas disturbed by fire or logging is often utilized. More

Aspects of the topic green-tailed towhee are discussed in the following places at Britannica. Assorted References * characteristics and habitat (in towhee (bird)) ...have white-spotted wings. A plain-looking towhee of the western United States is the canyon, or brown, towhee (P. fuscus). The green-tailed towhee (P. chlorurus), also western, is gray, white, and greenish, with a red-brown cap. More

Green-tailed Towhee is not so abundant as the fox sparrow on the west slope of the mountains; our censuses there show about one individual of the former to four of the latter. More

Distribution: Green-tailed Towhees breed in the montane and plateau interior of the western United States at an average elevation of 2200 m (7,300 ft). In Colorado, they breed from the eastern foothills through the western part of the state and are absent only in Intermountain parks. However, they are locally rare in higher mountain shrublands particularly where upland shrub density is lower or absent (Andrews and Righter 1992). Green-tailed Towhees winter from central Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas south into Mexico. More

The Green-tailed Towhee hops and scratches for food under low cover, flicking its tail and raising its rufous cap into a crest. It prefers low scrub and occurs in brushy openings in boreal forests on western mountains, as well as in sagebrush habitats. Its song is a loud and lively series of slurred notes and short, buzzy trills while its call is a short, nasal mew. The Green-tailed Towhee is a ground-dwelling species, smaller than the other towhees. More

green-tailed towheegreen-tailed towhee - towhee of the Rocky Mountains Chlorura chloruratowhee - any of numerous long-tailed American finchesChlorura, genus Chlorura - towhees How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. More

Picture of Pipilo chlorurus above has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license.
Original source: Dmitry Mozzherin
Author: Dmitry Mozzherin
Permission: Some rights reserved
Order : Passeriformes
Family : Emberizidae
Genus : Pipilo
Species : chlorurus
Authority : (Audubon, 1839)