An eastern towhee is back on my property. I didn’t see it, but heard its distinctive song, “drink your tea.” Before we talk about this bird’s behavior, let’s discuss its family, the Emberizids.

Usually you’ll hear an Eastern Towhee before you see it. This common, colorful bird spends much of its time rustling around in the undergrowth, foraging noisily through leaf litter or creeping through ...

DEAR JOAN: A California towhee has built a nest in our jasmine bush. She laid three eggs about one week ago. Now we look in the nest and there is a fourth egg and it sure looks like a cowbird egg. We ...

Often missed by birders, particularly those of us who hear poorly, is one of our most attractive species — the eastern towhee. Until 1995, it was called the rufous-sided towhee, a very descriptive ...