Canyon Towhee

The Canyon Towhee is an extremely interesting species of bird. They have only recently been recognized as a different species. Before, they were in the same species as their relatives, California Towhees. This conspecific categorization was done away with because of the differences in appearance and habitat. Due to this relatively new classification, there is a huge scope for further research on these unique birds.

About Canyon Towhees

They have an interesting range of chosen habitats, from scrub along with dry water bodies to desert foothills. They also display a wide range of behavior which must be studied more in detail. Let us take a deep dive into their world. In this article, you will learn about:

● Canyon Towhees Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Canyon Towhees Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● Canyon Towhees Range and Migration, Nesting

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Canyon Towhee Color Pattern

With grayish upper parts, Canyon Towhees are brown Sparrows, with reddish-brown or rufous crowns and light-hued throats that are defined from the underside with markings of a deeper color. They have dark chests and buff-colored or rusty under-tail coverts. Their upper tail coverts can be sporadically tipped with dull pale buffy white hues.

Canyon Towhee hatchlings are brown in color. There is little data on their pre-juvenile molts. However, we know that upon leaving their nests, fully feathered juveniles of these Towhees have bobbed tails and lacy brown coats with dotted chests, giving a thrush-like appearance. Their upperparts are a dull grayish brown, and their greater and middle wing coverts are edged and tipped with a tawny or fulvous shade.

The winter and summer colors of the plumages of these birds vary only slightly, and the differences in appearance are largely due to the wear and fading of the previous feathers. Research suggests that these birds do not undergo molting in the spring season.

The upper mandibles of their bills are a duskier brown in contrast to the lower mandibles, which are pale brownish, palest at the base. Their legs and feet can be any color from light brown to pinkish, and they have darker toes.

Description and Identification

Canyon Towhees are big, reddish-brown ground Sparrows. They have relatively long legs and long tails. The tone of their brown cover often blends into the mud or dirt of their habitats.

Canyon Towhees and California Towhees are often mistaken for one another. The distinguishing characteristic here is that Canyons have grayish upper parts, which are paler and colder in hue than the brownish cover of California Towhees. This also holds true for other body parts of the two, the Canyon Towhee is in general observably paler than the California Towhee. The ventral outlines of Canyon Towhees are also thinner and less bold than their Californian relatives, who tend to display blob-like ventral streaks.

Southern breeds of California Towhees have color palettes that resemble Canyon Towhees more closely, buff, whitish and pale. The distinguishing characteristic to keep in mind here would be the dark chest spot of Canyon Towhees, which are absent in California Towhees. The two races of Towhees do not tend to overlap in their ranges. California Towhees can flourish in suburban habitats, unlike Canyon Towhees, who prefer sparsely populated regions away from cities and any kind of industrial area.

A species of Towhee that does share the range with Canyon Towhee, however, is Abert’s Towhee. The two are set apart by the dark facial mask and dark throat of Abert’s Towhees.

Canyon Towhee Song

Juvenile Canyon Towhees sing “soft warblings” while initially experimenting with their voice. These warblings can be wavering initially and then stable as the young birds gain skill and confidence, and are pleasant to the human ear.

Adult Canyon Towhees have a vast range of sounds. The most commonly heard song is a “chili-chili-chili-chili-chili-chili” sound, a series of six to eight repetitions with double syllables (chi and li). Depending on several factors such as geography, age of the bird, purpose, emotion, and urgency. The song can begin with a tone and volume differing from its ending. Birds may also begin their song with faint energy, and then raise the intensity as they gain momentum. Single note calls of double syllables are also common.

As mentioned before, the song of Canyon Towhees is pleasant to the human ear. The male of a pair may sound dull and untrained in the late winter will shed his perfunctory tendencies as his mate leaves to incubate, and gradually changes his song into a more musical rendition.

The song of an unmated male is usually emitted to announce that he is ready to be paired when he arrives at a breeding territory during the breeding season. This call occurs at dawn, or on occasion, during the day. It is loud and prolonged.

The call is another sound that has two syllables, and can sound close to “shedup” or “shedap”. It is low in pitch and can sound throaty or rough. It’s used to get the attention of other birds. It can also be intensified to signify an alarm or an emergency.

The seep sound is a thin, shrill, piercing call. Pairs use it to keep each other updated on their locations, especially in densely vegetated or crowded settings where the visibility is low. It is often to signify alarm and danger. Interestingly, adults use this call to silence the food calls of their young so as to divert the attention of a predator or human. This call is often from an elevated position, such as a nest up high, a balcony, porch, or windowsill.

The squeal duet is a series of the seep call, with a higher volume. This call is often followed by a harsh roll or chatter. This call is an elongated “crrrrrrr” sound. It occurs during foraging and nesting, or to reaffirm the pairing of two birds. This sound is a duet of pairs, with the males singing the notes and the females simply supporting their vocalizations.

Other calls include a high-pitched food call by the fledged young birds, a guttural combat note by adults, a light tic sound representing a nest note, and a hurried shriek by frightened or anxious Canyon Towhees.

The frequency of songs and calls can vary greatly within each population of birds, and even in the same bird depending on several factors. Canyon Towhees emit sounds similar to the Northern Cardinal.

Canyon Towhee Size

The average length across sexes and populations of Canyon Towhees is 8.3 to 9.8 inches. The average weight ranges between 1.3 and 1.9 ounces, and the average wingspan length is 11.5 inches.

Canyon Towhees are relatively big Sparrows but might be difficult to spot due to their coat blending in with the mud of their habitat. There is reportedly little variation in size between the males and females of each population of this bird.

Canyon Towhee Behavior

These birds are not highly defensive and rarely display aggressive or agonistic behavior. However, there is a large scope for further documentation.

Canyon Towhees move around their habitat by hopping on the ground, and increase their speed while fleeing from danger. Their flight is not rapid unless they are in grave danger, and they make a series of short flights to reach their destination, making periodic stops at elevated spots such as tree branches.

Canyon Towhee Diet

Canyon Towhees have a diet consisting majorly of seeds and insects. Their diet in the winter comprises mostly of seeds, and in the summer, they feed on more insects. Juveniles are fed insects almost exclusively, as they develop foraging and eating skills. On occasion, adult birds enjoy select berries and fruit small enough for their beaks.

They forage almost only on the ground. They scratch the dirt to pull out seeds or insects, but they do not dig as much as other Towhees. Canyon Towhees frequently feed under logs, bushes, ledges, and even parked cars and trucks.

Canyon Towhee Habitat

They prefer to habituate sparsely populated areas that are away from the suburbs and townships. They populate a wide variety of habitats, including brushy areas, desert foothills, canyons, chaparral, pinyon-juniper woods, etc. Canyon Towhees do not tend to settle in marshy or humid areas but also stay away from open deserts and forest areas.

Canyon Towhees are likely to settle in areas with varieties of cactus such as cholla, and plants such as mesquite. They also gravitate towards scrub oak and other materials that might aid them in the process of building their nests.

Another major factor affecting their habitat selection is the availability of food and ease of foraging. As mentioned earlier, these birds eat mostly seeds and insects. The ground cannot be completely barren as they primarily forage in the surface-level soil or dirt.

Range and Migration

These birds are non-migratory but shift their elevation according to seasonal changes.

Canyon Towhee Lifecycle

Of what limited documentation there is of the incubation process, we can say that the female is more involved in the nest-building and gathering activities. The male partner occasionally accompanies the female but rarely partakes in these activities.

Only females incubate the eggs. The male partner prolongs his song past the normal duration at dawn to mark the beginning of incubation and resumes his normal duration after the incubation process is over. When the female partner leaves the nest to forage or feed, the male joins her.

Both parents feed the nestlings. The juveniles can leave the nest before or after gaining flight skills. A single pair may raise 2 or even 3 broods annually.

Nesting

Canyon Towhees often mate for life, and both members of the pair stay together in their permanent habitats. They are not particularly aggressive in their protection of nest territories and sometimes even allow or tolerate the intrusions of other Towhees.

The site of the nest is usually near or inside a small tree, dense shrubbery, or cactus at a moderate elevation of 3-12 inches above the ground level. The nest itself is a thick, bulky open cup, solidly constructed of weeds, grass, twigs,
etc. and lines with leaves, fine grass, strips of bark, or even animal hair.

Females actively take part in all nesting activities. The female is also often the only nest builder. The male adult may occasionally aid the female in gathering material or accompanying her while she builds and gathers.

In one laying session, an average of 3-4 eggs is laid. The rare occurrence of 6 lays has been documented as well. The eggs are off-white and are sporadically patterned with reddish-brown spots and streaks.

The incubation is done exclusively by the female adult. There have been no reports of nonbreeding nests, and no evidence to suggest the maintenance or reuse of past nests among Canyon Towhees.

Anatomy of a Canyon Towhee

Canyon Towhees are large Sparrows, with moderately rounded chests and sharp beaks. They have long legs that they bend to crouch in their default position. They may vary across populations but stay consistent within their own populations. Canyon Towhees also stay fairly consistent in size across seasons. They do not gain excess fat reserves due to their non-migratory nature. Both sexes are similar in size.

Final Thoughts

To conclude, we must stress the importance of further research on these birds. While they have been closely documented in some respects, such as their song, their lifecycle and behavior need far more observation and collation.

Although they are not aggressive birds, they display intelligent characteristics. Protecting their young by hiding their calls is a particularly striking feature, that signifies protective instincts among the adults.

Regarding their population strength, they are on the decline despite not being of economic importance. Through urbanization and deforestation, their habitats have been widely destroyed. However, they have deftly adapted to comfortable interaction with human life in sparsely populated areas, such as homes in desert foothills.

Ornithology

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