Eastern Towhee

Call and song

• Recording 1 · song

  Recording: Jonathon Jongsma · Wikimedia · CC-BY-SA 4.0 (licence)

• Recording 2

  Recording: Wil Hershberger; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library

• Recording 3

  Recording: Wil Hershberger; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library

About the Eastern Towhee

Large, striking, long-tailed sparrow of the eastern U.S. and Canada. Black above with bright rufous sides and a white belly. Eye color varies from white (in the southeastern U.S) to dark red (further north). In flight, note white corners on tail. Also note females are browner than jet-black males. Most similar to Spotted Towhee, but Eastern is mostly black above, only showing single white patch on folded wing. Hybridizes with Spotted Towhee in central U.S. and south-central Canada; hybrids usually show intermediate wing pattern. Inhabits scrubby areas and forest edges with thickets. Forages primarily by hopping along ground, scraping away leaf litter. Males sing from atop shrubs and low trees. Visits feeders.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 4 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

• Bermuda
• Canada
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• United States