Size: 8.5 inches General Description: Formerly known as a
Rufous-sided Towhee, this common bird can most often be found
under the bushes, on the open forest floor, and among the
shrubbery near lawns. With its distinctive black head and upper
body, red eyes, rusty-orange sides, black tail showing white at
the corners in flight, white belly, and white spots and bars on
the wings, the male is hardly inconspicuous. The females are
similar, but appear more brown than black, and their colors are
not as bright, and juvenile birds are heavily streaked and lack
the colors of the adults. Habitat: Towhees prefer brushy
clearings with some sunny patches, forested lowlands, shrubby
thickets of salal, willow, myrtle, and blackberries, and
residential garden edges. Behavior: These birds are almost
exclusively ground birds, easily located by their loud
scratching in the leaves under the bushes. They are rarely seen
feeding in trees but they will often show up at the seed and
suet feeders in our yards, and can be very aggress