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of the tree. The “your” is lower pitched than the “drink” and the “tea” is higher than either. The last note has an endearing, wavering trill. This is an easy song to learn; once known it is forgotten.
Call notes sound like jorree and che-wink. When alarmed, the bird calls his name, tow-hee over and over, in quick succession.
Often I have mistaken a great rustling of dry leaves in thicket for a large animal. It turned out to be a towhee searching for food in dry leaves with what ornithologists call the double-scratch. The bird jumps up and forward, then quickly back with his feet scratching through the ground cover. The birds can truly make the leaves fly with this movement.
Towhees are ground and thicket loving birds and only leave this concealment when the male ascends to some high perch to announce territorial rights. Thick tangles of shrubs and vines are favored by this fine bird. The towhee is often heard calling his name or making the leaves fly long bfefore he or she is seen.
Female towhees build a thick-walled nest either on the ground or very close to it. A favorite hiding place is a thick tangle of smilax or catbriar. This vine comes equipped with very sharp spines. I have a Louisiana friend who calls it “dammit vine;” a good name for that is what one is likely to say on getting caught in it.
When a towhee darts away in graceful flight his white outer tail feathers flash open and closed. This flash pattern helps the birds escape a predator — for example, a hawk — that has focused on the flashes of white when chasing the bird. When the towhee stops flying and darts into cover, the predator is confused and loses his prey; the flashing white is no longer seen.
May the Rufous-sided Towhee continue to escape predators and thickets ring with towhee’s calls. The towhee is an appealing and handsome bird. Consider yourself lucky if one chooses your yard for a visit.
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