Doo, Doo, Doo, Looking Out My Backdoor V: Eastern Towhee

Until recently, this bird was known as the Rufous-sided Towhee, but the race was split in two, more or less divided by the Mississippi River. The race west of the Mississippi is known as the Spotted Towhee. Females are almost as dapper as this male, except where he is black, she is brown. Notice the ruby red eye which is not always visible unless the light hits it right. Towhees are about the size of a robin.

We almost always have a pair around our house, although this past summer we had a male with no mate. I believe they mate for life. They are fairly secretive birds and it is rare to see them when I am outside. They only seem to come around when I am inside and can view them through a window. When you do see them, they are almost always on or near the ground. They like to kick up leaves in search of insects. They are high on the list of my favorite songbirds.