|Albums > Feathered Friends > Towhees and Sparrows > Spotted Towhee|
|Spotted Towhee - Pipilo maculatus|
Length: 7.25? inches ....Short distance migrant ...Habitat: shrubby habitats in forested lowlands ... Breeding: Pairing begins as early as February ...Nest: In April, the female picks a nest site on or close to the ground, usually well concealed by adjacent plants but not typically in thickets. When built on the ground, the nest is sunk into the leaf litter so that the rim of the nest cup is even with the litter surface. The female builds the nest of bark, grass, and leaves and lines it with pine needles, hair, and other fine material ...Eggs 3 - 5 ...Incubation: 12-14 days ...Fledge: leave the nest at 9 to 11 days, but do not fly for another six days. Both parents feed the young and continue to feed the young for about 30 days after they leave the nest ...Broods:1 ...Diet: Primarily a ground forager, eating Nuts, Seeds, Fruit, Insects in lesser quantities.
Towhees prefer to forage in areas with a thick layer of leaf litter and a screen of foliage and twigs low to the ground, in spring sometimes they forage in trees as well. They can be seen occasionally sunning themselves, lying down on the grass with feathers spread.