Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyPasserellidae (New World Sparrows)
- GenusPipilo (Typical Towhees)
- SpeciesPipilo maculatus (Spotted Towhee)
About the Spotted Towhee
The spotted towhee (Pipilo maculatus) is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been debated in recent decades, and until 1995 this bird and the eastern towhee were considered a single species, then named rufous-sided towhee. Another outdated name for the spotted towhee is the Oregon towhee (particularly for the subspecies Pipilo maculatus oregonus). The call may be harsher and more varied than for the eastern towhee.
The spotted towhee is a large New World sparrow, roughly the same size as a gray catbird. It has a long, dark, fan-shaped tail with white corners on the end. It has a round body (similar to New World sparrows) with bright red eyes and dull pink legs. The spotted towhee is between 17 cm (6.7 in) and 21 cm (8.3 in) long, and weighs in at between 33 g (1.2 oz) and 49 g (1.7 oz). It has a wingspan of 28 cm (11 in).
Adult males have a generally darker head, upper body and tail with a white belly, rufous sides, white spots on their back and white wing bars. Females look similar but are dark brown and grey instead of black. The spotted towhee has white spots on its primary and secondary feathers; the eastern towhee is the same in terms of... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Green-tailed Towhee
Pipilo chlorurus
Abert's Towhee
Melozone aberti
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Black-throated Sparrow
Amphispiza bilineata
Rufous-winged Sparrow
Peucaea carpalis
Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Canyon Towhee
Melozone fusca
Brewer's Sparrow
Spizella breweri
Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Spotted Towhee in Saguaro National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Towhee sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 692 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Spotted Towhee in Saguaro National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Spotted Towhee in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.