Abert's Towhee
Melozone aberti
Large, plain, long-tailed sparrow. Drab grayish-brown overall, with dark mask like a Northern Cardinal. Also note pinkish bill and orange undertail coverts. Inhabits riparian corridors, especially in dense brush. Mainly occurs in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, barely extending into surrounding states and northern Mexico. Rather secretive as it forages on the ground for seeds and insects. Visits feeders.
Identification
Abert's towhee (Melozone aberti) is a bird of the family Passerellidae, native to a small range in southwestern North America, generally the lower Colorado River and Gila River watersheds, nearly endemic to Arizona, but also present in small parts of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Sonora in Mexico. The name of this bird commemorates the American ornithologist James William Abert (1820–1897).
Taxonomy
Genus: Melozone; Family: Passerellidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Melozone aberti
- Authority
- (Baird, SF, 1852)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Passerellidae
- Genus
- Melozone
Range and habitat
This bird is common in brushy riparian habitats in the Lower Sonoran desert zone and prefers to stay well-hidden under bushes. Though threatened by cowbird nest parasitism and habitat loss, it has successfully colonized suburban environments in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area and may be fairly easily seen on the campus of Arizona State University. Despite its limited range, it is classified as a species of Least Concern in the IUCN Redlist, and there has been some range expansion along the Santa Cruz River as well as in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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