Collared towhee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Collared towhee |
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Pipilo
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| Species: |
ocai
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The collared towhee (Pipilo ocai) is a type of bird that lives only in Mexico. It belongs to the bird family called Passerellidae. This bird is known for its unique look and its home in the mountains.
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What is a Collared Towhee?
The collared towhee is a fairly large bird, growing to about 21 cm (8.3 in) (8 inches) long. It has a special appearance that helps it stand out.
How to Spot One
You can recognize a collared towhee by its colorful feathers. It has a chestnut-colored cap on its head. Its upper body is a yellowish-green. It also has a black patch on its cheek and a black band across its chest. The sides of its body are gray, and its chin is white.
How Big Are They?
These birds have a wing length of about 7.9 to 9.2 cm (3.1 to 3.6 in). Their tail is relatively short, measuring about 8.9 to 10.6 cm (3.5 to 4.2 in). The bill, or beak, is about 1.5 to 1.8 cm (0.59 to 0.71 in) long, and their legs (tarsus) are about 2.8 to 3.4 cm (1.1 to 1.3 in).
Male collared towhees usually weigh between 61 to 68 g (2.2 to 2.4 oz). Females are a bit lighter, weighing from 54.5 to 62.5 g (1.92 to 2.20 oz). This makes them one of the largest birds in their group, the emberizids, when considering their weight and bill size. However, some other towhee species, like Abert's towhee or California towhee, can be longer overall.
What About Its Song?
The collared towhee has a distinct song. It makes a trilling sound, which means a rapid, vibrating sound, mixed with short "chip" calls. This song helps it communicate with other towhees in its habitat.
Similar Birds
The collared towhee looks a bit like another bird called the chestnut-capped brush finch. Both have a chestnut cap, black cheek, and a breast band. However, the brush finch has a thinner breast band. Its eyebrow-like stripe (supercilium) is more golden, not whitish like the towhee's. Also, their songs are very different. The brush finch has a very high-pitched, hissing song.
Where Do Collared Towhees Live?
The collared towhee is found only in Mexico. This means it is an endemic species to that country.
Their Natural Home
These birds prefer to live in specific environments. Their natural habitats are moist pine-oak montane forests. These are forests found in mountainous areas. They can also be found in areas where forests have been heavily damaged or changed by human activity.
Mountain Living
Collared towhees live in mountainous regions. They are typically found at high elevations, from about 1,500 to 3,500 m (4,900 to 11,500 ft) (about 4,900 to 11,500 feet) above sea level. This high-altitude living is part of their unique lifestyle.
Conservation Status
The collared towhee is currently listed as "Least Concern" (LC) by the IUCN. This means that, for now, its population is stable and it is not considered to be at high risk of extinction.
