Birds › New World Sparrows
California Towhee
Melozone crissalis
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Sounds
- Recording by Jonathon Jongsma (XC109663). CC-BY-SA · Source
Easily confused with
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanus
Canyon TowheeMelozone fusca
House SparrowPasser domesticus
Abert's TowheeMelozone aberti
Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
American RobinTurdus migratorius
California ThrasherToxostoma redivivum
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 58,180 |
|---|---|
| California | 58,101 |
| Nevada | 27,155 |
| Oregon | 10,101 |
| Mexico | 749 |
| Baja California | 517 |
| Baja California Sur | 232 |
| Arizona | 7 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Group and habits
- Seed eaterDescends from an animal lineage whose members commonly feed on seeds.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Cup nestingListed by a harvested source as building cup nests.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Tree nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in trees.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Shrub nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in shrubs.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Brood-parasite hostListed by a harvested source as a host of brood parasites.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Perching Birds · Passeriformes |
| Family | New World Sparrows · Passerellidae |
| Genus | Ground-Sparrows and Brown Towhees · Melozone |
Study it in a deck
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise California Towhee with real photos from different observers and its recordings. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.