The usual suspects were consuming the black-oiled sunflower seeds in the bird feeder and scattered on the deck railing, as well as working the suet block. The dependable nuthatches, juncos and chickadees darted in and out from their scout trees, along with a couple of purple finches.
Then the surprise: a teapot of spotted towhees. Yes, a teapot, or a tangle, if you like (and no, that I did not make up).
This was unusual because towhees are ground birds, and the deck railing is almost 10 feet above ground. Occasionally a single towhee finds its way to the railing but never a tangle!
While one towhee was on the railing, three others were on three separate branches, perched roughly in a vertical line. While the braver towhee chowed down, the timid trio seemed to be working up enough moxie to join the party.
Just then all the birds scattered, probably due to a raptor looking for a meal. Later, a towhee was clinging to the suet cage and sampling the suet. My bet is on the brave one from earlier in the day.
Towhees are in the same family as the white- and golden-crowned sparrows, lark bunting, savannah sparrow, fox sparrow, dark-eyed junco, Lapland longspur and snow bunting, and are the largest birds in the family.
It’s easy to identify because of its size (7-8 inches), males jet-black above and throat, spotted and striped along with white undersides and rufous flanks, and thick bill and long rounded tail.
While they have similar looks, vocalizations are different.
When I lived in Maryland, the vocal identifier was an ear-pleasing “drink your tea.” The spotted towhee must have missed the vocal lesson, because it’s sound is much less pleasing, and has been described as “strangled chips and snarling trills” in an entry on scienceblogs.com, but much more pleasantly in numerous bird books.
The spotted towhee is common in Washington state, breeds statewide, and winters primarily on the west side. They’re often heard before they’re seen, given away by the aggressive two-footed backwards-scratching hop in leaf litter under bushes to uncover mainly insects in the summer and mostly seeds and plant food such as acorns and berries in the winter.
We also have the green-tailed towhee, a rare find in the southeast corner of Washington.
Here are some facts about spotted towhees:
- They have red eyes.
- Male towhees work hard at attracting a mate. Researchers have recorded males spending 70-90 percent of their mornings singing, which drops to about 5 percent once they find a mate.
- Nests are placed in a dip in the ground or near the ground.
- If a nesting female is disturbed, she may run away rather than fly away.
- When on the move, Pipilo maculatus makes short, slow, bounding flights alternating rapid wing beats with pulling the wings to the side.
- The experts say that if two towhees have a conflict, one bird may pick up a twig or leaf and carry it around, which is interpreted as an act of submission.
- While many bird species are declining in population, spotted towhee numbers remain stable, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
- Towhees in Eastern Washington have larger spots and more whites on their tails than those in Western Washington.
May you find a tangle (or teapot) of towhees enjoying your seeds this winter.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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