The Eastern Towhee is one of those birds that we hear all the time here in North Carolina but not often see. They are shy, secretive birds yet their loud call of “drink yourrrr teeeee” helps us find them while hiking in the woods.
I spotted this pair of Towhees while birding the Gum Swamp Trail at the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Preserve last week.
Aren’t they lovely?
Eastern Towhees are a year round resident of NC and are one of a handful of species that nests from the coast all the way up to the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
They are best found in areas where there is dense woods and scrub brush available for them to forage for a meal.
I’ve had luck spotting them in thick bushy patches in the OBX and in dark Rhododendron thickets in the mountains.
Towhees are generally ground nesters and will usually build their nest in a clump of leaves or in the tall grass at the base of a tree. They’ll also occasionally build their nests in tangled briars about 2 to 4ft off of the ground.
Both parents take care of the chicks who will leave the nest around 11 days after hatching.
Interestingly the young will hang out with their parents after fledging for a few months before moving on to scout their own territories.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds
