Abert’s Towhee
Melozone aberti
The Abert’s Towhee inhabits dense brush and woodlands along the Colorado and Sonoran Deserts. Often we find them along rivers and streams in Arizona and surrounding states. These birds are inconspicuous because they forage in thick undergrowth and rarely fly any significant distance.
Typical of towhees and most sparrows, these birds forage on the ground. They find their meals by scratching through leaf litter, kicking back with both feet at once to expose seeds and sometimes insects. Also typical of towhees, pairs remain in their territory year-round.
Until recently, science classified Abert’s Towhees in the genus Pipilo. But studies of mitochondrial DNA in 2008-2009 started a rethinking of these and other towhees. Since then, science has adopted the genus Melozone for the Brown Towhee complex, including this bird. Earlier taxonomists designated subspecies for this bird, but now science sees the Abert’s Towhee as monotypic.
My first meeting with this species was in California’s Imperial Valley, near the Salton Sea. Since then, I’ve met them in Arizona and southern Nevada.
28 Photos
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Cattle Call Park, in Brawley, California is a good place to find these birds. Imperial County USA 2011-10-12. |
Date Taken: 2011:10:12 15:24 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X3566-AbertsTowhee |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Abert's Towhee(Pipilo aberti) |
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Description: I found this bird in a small flock near Sinclair Road. Salton Sea NWR and vicinity. Imperial County, California USA 2007-12-25. |
Date Taken: 2007:12:25 15:13 |
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Location:
Salton Sea NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/4.0, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD3151AbertsTowhee |
| © 2007 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Pipilo aberti) |
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Description: I found this bird in a small flock near Sinclair Road. Salton Sea NWR and vicinity. Imperial County, California USA 2007-12-25. |
Date Taken: 2007:12:25 15:19 |
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Location:
Salton Sea NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 350 mm, f/4.0, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD3171AbertsTowhee |
| © 2007 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Pipilo aberti) |
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Description: I found this bird in a small flock near Sinclair Road. Salton Sea NWR and vicinity. Imperial County, California USA 2007-12-25. |
Date Taken: 2007:12:25 15:26 |
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Location:
Salton Sea NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 350 mm, f/4.0, 1/80 |
File Name: JCD3186AbertsTowhee |
| © 2007 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Pipilo aberti) |
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Description: Cut-out image of a bird found near Sinclair Road. Salton Sea NWR and vicinity. Imperial County, California USA 2007-12-25. |
Date Taken: 2007:12:25 15:19 |
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Location:
Salton Sea NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 350 mm, f/4.0, 1/60 |
File Name: Cut_JCD3171AbertsTowhee |
| © 2007 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Near Sinclair Road, Salton Sea NWR. Imperial County, Southern California. |
Date Taken: 2014:11:24 10:19 |
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Location:
Salton Sea |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/320 |
File Name: D3X2034-AbertsTowhee |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Cattle Call Park, in Brawley, California is a good place to find these birds. Imperial County USA 2014-11-30. |
Date Taken: 2014:11:30 8:33 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X2721-AbertsTowhee |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Cattle Call Park, in Brawley, California is a good place to find these birds. Imperial County USA 2014-11-30. |
Date Taken: 2014:11:30 8:33 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X2722-AbertsTowhee |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Cattle Call Park, in Brawley, California is a good place to find these birds. Imperial County USA 2014-11-30. |
Date Taken: 2014:11:30 8:49 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X2737-AbertsTowhee |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Cattle Call Park, Brawley, California. Imperial County. |
Date Taken: 2011:10:12 14:14 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: D3X3335-AbertsTowhee |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: I met this bird at Agua Caliente Park in Northeastern Tucson, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:24 14:00 |
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Location:
Agua Caliente Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X7179 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: I met this bird at Agua Caliente Park in Northeastern Tucson, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:24 7:11 |
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Location:
Agua Caliente Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/200 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X6492 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: I met this bird at Agua Caliente Park in Northeastern Tucson, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:24 7:20 |
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Location:
Agua Caliente Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X6528 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: I met this bird at Agua Caliente Park in Northeastern Tucson, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:24 13:59 |
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Location:
Agua Caliente Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X7174 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: These are birds I met at the Gilbert Water Ranch, or Riparian Preserve which is located in the middle of the Valley of the Sun, or the Greater Phoenix Metropolian area, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:23 8:58 |
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Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/3200 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X0534-GilbertArizona |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: These are birds I met at the Gilbert Water Ranch, or Riparian Preserve which is located in the middle of the Valley of the Sun, or the Greater Phoenix Metropolian area, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:23 7:54 |
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Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X9897-GilbertArizona |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Abert's Towhees are ever-present in the Imperial Valley where I met them on my final push home from Texas in 2020 and passed through Brawley, California where I paid a visit to Cattle Call Park. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:28 11:55 |
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Location:
Cattle Call Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X6643-CattleCall-Brawley |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: The towhees showed up along the brush lined pathways. It was a lovely day at the Gilbert Water Ranch. The weather was mild, and the winds were calm. Gilbert is in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:11 12:32 |
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Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X8939-GilbertWaterRanch |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: The towhees seemed to prefer the brushy edge habitat adjacent to the ponds. At 6:15am I was the first guest at the preserve and I stayed until 12:30. Bird Viewing Preserve in Henderson, southern Nevada. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:09 10:29 |
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Location:
Bird Viewing Preserve |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X8320-Henderson-BVP |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Pipilo aberti) |
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Description: A very scruffy bird. Catfish Paradise is part of Lake Havasu National Wildlife Reserve. Near Topock Arizona in Mojave County. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:12 13:56 |
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Location:
Catfish Paradise |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1600 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X2044-CatfishParadise |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Near the southeastern shore of the Salton Sea in Imperial County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:07:26 8:51 |
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Location:
Salton Sea |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: D3X6486-AbertsTowhee |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Near Sinclair Road, Salton Sea NWR. Imperial County, Southern California. |
Date Taken: 2014:11:24 9:50 |
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Location:
Salton Sea |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X2023-AbertsTowhee |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Salton Sea in Imperial County, near Sinclair Road. Southern California. |
Date Taken: 2015:10:17 8:12 |
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Location:
Salton Sea |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/40 |
File Name: D720976-AbertsTowhee |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Abert's Towhee(Pipilo aberti) |
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Description: Agua Caliente Park in Northeastern Tucson, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:24 7:17 |
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Location:
Agua Caliente Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_D5X6511 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: I spent only a little more than an hour for my first visit to the Sweetwater Wetlands a little west of Tucson. I found it lovely, and I expect to visit it again, and again. |
Date Taken: 2023:03:18 16:00 |
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Location:
Sweetwater Wetlands Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_ZX91961_SweetwaterWetlands-Tucson-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: Patton’s, in Patagonia is legendary as a ‘must see’ birding destination in southeastern Arizona. Yet, this was my first visit. I spent almost two hours there, and those few hours were delightful. |
Date Taken: 2023:03:21 11:52 |
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Location:
Patton's |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_ZX93716_Patagonia-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: I spent a long, hot, Arizona summer day visiting the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia. For much of this visit I experimented with camera settings (ISO), and I learned what *not* to do. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:13 12:25 |
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Location:
Paton Center for Hummingbirds |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_Z9X2538_Patons-Patagonia-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Abert's Towhee(Melozone aberti) |
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Description: I spent a long, hot, Arizona summer day visiting the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia. For much of this visit I experimented with camera settings (ISO), and I learned what *not* to do. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:13 12:27 |
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Location:
Paton Center for Hummingbirds |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: AbertsTowhee_Z9X2579_Patons-Patagonia-AZ |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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