Birds › Northwest forest › Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
Scratches through leaves with a two-footed backward hop to uncover food.
Where to see it for real: Seed on the ground near brush piles and dense shrubs.
Lives in the Northwest forest habitat (Pacific Northwest, Washington State).

Spotted Towhee facts
- Family
- New World sparrows
- Length
- 7.9 in (20 cm)
- Wingspan
- 11 in (28 cm)
- Weight
- 1.4 oz (40 g)
- Diet
- Insects, seeds and berries scratched up from leaf litter.
- Range
- Western North America, from southern Canada to Guatemala.
- Nest
- A cup of leaves and grass on the ground or low in a shrub.
- Song
- A buzzy trill, and a cat-like "mew" call.
- Active
- by day
- Status
- Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.
What the Spotted Towhee sounds like
How to attract the Spotted Towhee
Feeder foods, favorite first: millet, sunflower seed. Feeders that hold them: tube feeder and platform feeder. Keep a bird bath full, too.
In the game: fill a feeder with millet and sunflower seed and keep the bird bath full. It is a common visitor.
More: bird songs and calls, what to feed birds.
More birds of the northwest forest
Steller's JayNorthwest forest
Varied ThrushNorthwest forest
Chestnut-backed ChickadeeNorthwest forest
Pacific WrenNorthwest forest
Red-breasted NuthatchNorthwest forest
Pileated WoodpeckerNorthwest forestSpot the Spotted Towhee yourself
Free in your browser. Put out the right food in the northwest forest and wait.