Pipilo Maculatus

Day 158: Roger Tory Peterson calls this bird "Rufous-Sided Towhee" in his "Field Guide to Western Birds," so I may be forgiven referring to it as such despite the fact that David Allen Sibley calls it "Spotted Towhee." In any event, Pipilo maculatus is a handsome robin-sized member of the family of Finches, its heavy bill designed for cracking tough seeds. Towhee's vivid coloration and his bright red eye makes him easy to distinguish from the American Robin or the Varied Thrush although the eye is brown in young birds. Towhees exhibit a distinctive behaviour when feeding as well. The bird stands in place and then thrusts itself backward, the front talons raking the ground. This motion frees trapped seeds, making them easier to find.