Spot California Towhee (Melozone crissalis)

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California Towhees are essentially large sparrows, with a sparrow’s short, rounded wings, long tail, and thick, seed-cracking beak – but towhees are larger and bulkier. The long tail and short wings can give this bird an ungainly look in flight. Few birds are as uniformly matte brown as a California Towhee, except for a rusty patch under the tail and around their bill. Males look the same as females. Diet and behavioral habits: Common year round in Balboa Park, California Towhees live in chaparral and other tangled, shrubby, and dry habitats. The majority of diet, especially in winter, consists of seeds of weeds and grasses, also some waste grain. In summer, they will also eat insects (including caterpillars and beetles), and some berries and small fruits Nesting habits: Nest site is usually in a dense shrub or low tree, typically 4-12' above the ground, but may be very low (sometimes on the ground) or up to 30' or higher. Nest is a bulky open cup, rather loosely made of twigs, grass, weeds, and strips of bark, lined with finer grass, rootlets, and animal hair.

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