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Location: Lake Murray, La Mesa, CA
Date: 2008-06-15
Lens: Canon 600mm IS F4
Date: 2008-06-15
Lens: Canon 600mm IS F4
California Towhee
Pipilo crissalis
DescriptionOne of the more common birds found around San Diego and my photographic nemesis. California Towhee's forage on the ground for seeds, grains, and insects. When searching for food they often scratch at the ground with both feet simultaneously. Their call is a series of chirps in the same pitch, followed by an fast trill.
Medium sized bird with gray-brown body. Rust/Cinnamon colored under tail coverts. Brown crown. Dark eye. Long tail. Conical bill. Buffy throat. Sexes similar. 8 to 10 inches in length.
Open woodlands, pinion juniper woodlands, chaparral, and shady underbrush.
Nesting3-4 blue-green eggs, lightly spotted with black-brown markings. Fledging occurs ? days after hatching. They have a 11 day incubation period. The nest is an open cup placed low in a bush.
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