Mystery Bird: California Towhee, Pipilo crissalis

California Towhee?

Looks sparrow-like, but more brownish color with reddish under chin and rear end.

That's a total guess.

But, I love trying to identify the birds you show us :) Thank you.

A bird I know! Whee!

Yes, that's a California Towhee (which I still think of as the Brown Towhee, since that's what it was in my first field guide, 40 years ago).

Actually, thinking back on it, my first field guide was the original Peterson How to Know the Birds, which only covers east of the Mississippi. It was an old edition I found in my parent's bookcase, that I think must have been a hand-me-down from my grandmother. I remember being about 6 years old, trying as hard as I could to identify the brownish bird with the rusty undertail coverts that I'd seen hopping around in the chapparal that surrounded our house in Redlands, California.

The closest thing I could find was the catbird, which at least had the rusty undertail coverts, but was not quite the right color, and had a suspicious-looking beak. I spent the longest time trying to convince myself that that really was a catbird.

A few years later I got the western edition of the Peterson guide, and the scales fell from my eyes. It was a Brown Towhee I was seeing, and Brown Towhee it remains in my mind to this day, even if I know I have to call it a California Towhee to be with the times.

Yes, it's a Cal Towhee - looking much brighter than they usually do, hopping around on the ground and matching the dust around them. It's sort of amusing that these guys are absolutely cheeky, showing little more concern than pigeons for passers-by, while the Spotted Towhees (which are brilliant black and white and orange) are so shy they're very difficult to find.

Yes Cal. Towhee saw a lot of them when I lived im CA. :). Have to say I am very glad I do not live there now though.