The Birders’ Dozen Profile 11: Eastern Towhee

Dr. Jessica Outcalt

Welcome to the Birders’ Dozen! Over the next two issues we are going to wrap up introducing the last pair of birds from Forestry for the Birds. The Birders’ Dozen are forest birds that can benefit from targeted management practices, as most are declining due to habitat loss. We’ve curated this list to cover a wide range of habitat types, from young to mature forest, open to closed canopy, or dense to non-existent shrub layers. Our goal is to engage landowners and foresters in the process of managing forests for wildlife, or “forests for the birds.”

When defending its territory or attracting a mate, the male Eastern Towhee can often be heard singing from a high, visible perch. This is one of the many birds that sings its name – the song is often written as “see tow-HEE-EE-EE” or “drink your TEA-EE-EE.” During the majority of their time, however, towhees are found near or on the forest floor in dense, shrubby habitats. A member of the sparrow family, towhees forage by hopping and scratching litter with both feet to uncover invertebrates and seeds. Towhee populations have been declining significantly since at least the 1960s, though it is a generally widespread bird.

Natural History

Eastern Towhees prefer habitats with open canopies and dense shrub cover, as well as a well-developed litter layer for foraging. Invertebrate food is especially important during the breeding season, when protein is a vital part of the diet. Later in the summer and during the migratory seasons, plants, especially seeds and high-fat fruit, become more important. Regenerating clearcuts and naturally-maintained openings are consistently used by towhees and other shrubland species, likely because these dense habitats provide high food availability, shelter from predators, and diverse vegetation that can support a high number of birds.

Some readers might be confused by the name of this bird – it’s been known by a number of names over the last several decades. The bird formerly known as the Rufous-sided Towhee is widespread across North America, but new genetic research has actually shown it to be two separate species, the Spotted Towhee in the west and the Eastern Towhee in the east. Readers might know this black-and-orange sparrow as a rufous or northern towhee, but its true name is, less colorfully, the Eastern Towhee.

Regardless of what you call this bird, it’s a strikingly colored little bird, unlike most sparrows in its group. Towhees are generally monogamous, and the female builds a small nest in depressions on the ground, typically at the base of small shrubs or vegetation. 3-5 speckled eggs are laid and incubated around 12-13 days; hatchlings then take roughly 10-12 days to fledge. Towhee nests are commonly parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds, but it is unclear the degree to which this effects towhee reproductive success.

During the post-fledging period, young towhees feed heavily on fruit, especially fruits that bloom late in the season like blackberries; dry seeds such as ragweed and grass seeds are also important. Towhees utilize a wide range of habitats during migration, most often shrub patches or even residential backyards. Towhees are short-distance migrants, and some towhees from northern portions of their range can overwinter as far north as southern Indiana, though their primary wintering area is the southern United States along the Gulf Coast. During the winter, towhees occupy the same types of habitat as during the breeding season: dense, shrubby areas with an open canopy.

Eastern Towhee, photo courtesy Matt Williams Nature Photography.

Habitat Management

Management for Eastern Towhees should include techniques that open the canopy and foster increased shrub density. Maturing forests and loss of young, open forest areas have contributed to a loss of towhees in the Midwest, and management that targets increased diversity on a landscape scale can benefit a wide range of species, including those that require transient habitats like regenerating openings. Though a regenerating clearcut is not often associated with benefits to wildlife, research over the last several years is showing that many birds, including this one, depend on this type of dense, shrubby habitat.

While dense shrubs are the hallmark of the towhee’s preferred habitat, a few other considerations can help improve habitat for these birds. It’s important that shrubs are those that produce well-developed leaf litter layer: native shrubs such as blackberry and elderberry are good choices, and trees that produce a thick layer of leaves such as oaks are vital. In addition, leaving some tall trees, either living or as snags, within or near an open area can provide singing perches for territorial males. Prescribed fire, while potentially removing some habitat immediately following burns, can be used to improve habitat in the long-term as well. 

Conclusion

While typically seen and heard singing from the top of a tall perch in an open area, Eastern Towhees spend the majority of their time on the forest floor instead. Management that fosters growth of dense, shrubby areas, development of a thick leaf litter layer, and leaves a few tall trees or snags in place can greatly benefit these brightly patterned sparrows. Young forest is a habitat type in need of creation and protection in Indiana, and Eastern Towhees are ideal birds with which to highlight this type of forest and its importance to the overall ecosystem.

Special thanks to the Alcoa Foundation, the Indiana Forestry Educational Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy for their support and leadership of Forestry for the Birds.

Jessica Outcalt, PhD

Jessica Outcalt is an independent consulting biologist who worked with The Nature Conservancy to develop the “Birders’ Dozen Profiles.” She is now a Natural Resources Training Specialist with Purdue University’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. She completed her BS in biology at Taylor University, her PhD in wildlife ecology at Purdue University, and is passionate about birds and getting people involved in conservation and scientific processes.

References

Fink, Alix D., Frank R. Thompson, and April A. Tudor. 2006. “Songbird Use of Regenerating Forest, Glade, and Edge Habitat Types.” The Journal of Wildlife Management 70 (1): 180–88. https://doi.org/10.2193/0022-541X(2006)70[180:SUORFG]2.0.CO;2.

Fox, Vanessa L., et al. “Forest Composition, Leaf Litter, and Songbird Communities in Oak- vs. Maple-Dominated Forests in the Eastern United States.” Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 259, no. 12, May 2010, pp. 2426–32. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.03.019.

Greenlaw, J. S. (2020). Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.eastow.01.

Reidy, Jennifer L., Frank R. Thompson, and Sarah W. Kendrick. 2014. “Breeding Bird Response to Habitat and Landscape Factors across a Gradient of Savanna, Woodland, and Forest in the Missouri Ozarks.” Forest Ecology and Management 313 (February): 34–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.10.042.