The Solitary Towhee

February 5, 2026

Many many birds have been coming for the hulled sunflower seeds I’ve been putting out for them. Mostly White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) along with a few other species including this single elusive Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), showing up just every now and then. Not even every day.

This one, the one that comes by, is a male. He has a black head, upper body, and tail. I see a female, as well as a male, during the summer. Unlike the male, her head, upper body, and tail are brown instead of black; otherwise they are alike.

The Eastern Towhee, quite the solitary bird.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

One thought on “The Solitary Towhee”

  1. This lovely bird winter-fed at my feeder in The Fairmount Park vicinity of Philadelphia, Pa. They were referred to as the “Rufus-sided Towhee”, and often in company of Junco and Titmice.

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