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Identification Tips: Length: 7.75 inches, Conical bill, Dark eye, Black area around base of bill, Brown upperparts, Buffy underparts, Rusty undertail coverts, Long tail, Juvenile (Spring to Fall) lightly spotted below.

While related to and closely resembling the California and Canyon Towhees, this towhee is paler, more secretive, and has a different song. The three do not interbreed, even though their ranges overlap.

Similar species : Abert's Towhee is similar to California and Canyon Towhees but has a black area around the base of the bill and is buffier overall.

Voice : Call is a single bell-like note.

Habitat : Along arroyos in desert thickets; associated with cottonwood, willow, and mesquite, although it is also found around farms, orchards, and urban areas.

Nesting : 3 or 4 pale blue-green, scrawled eggs in a cup nest close to the ground in a bush or tree.

Range : Resident in southern and western Arizona, parts of neighboring Utah, New Mexico, and California, southward into Baja California and Sonora in Mexico.

Photographed at Granada Park in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.