{"id":102203,"date":"2022-05-07T05:25:36","date_gmt":"2022-05-07T11:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=102203"},"modified":"2022-05-07T05:31:02","modified_gmt":"2022-05-07T11:31:02","slug":"male-spotted-towhee-in-morgan-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/05\/07\/male-spotted-towhee-in-morgan-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Male Spotted Towhee In Morgan County"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MaleMale Spotted Towhee in spring \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I had a few moments to photograph a singing male Spotted Towhee two days ago in Morgan County high in the Wasatch Mountains. I do wish that that colorful male towhee had been closer to the road and larger in the frame. It was delightful to hear him singing<\/span><\/a> as he perched on top of a tree.<\/p>\n

Spotted Towhees and Eastern Towhees used to be lumped together and were called Rufous-sided Towhees. Spotted Towhees are large, colorful members of the sparrow family and are found throughout western North America and they have spots on their wings and backs that Eastern Towhees lack.<\/p>\n

I usually hear Spotted Towhees before I spot them and I hear them more often than I see them too. They are known for being skulky but during the spring the males often sing from the tops of tree and shrubs. In my experiences I have had my best opportunities to photograph these towhees during spring.<\/p>\n

I’ve found Spotted Towhees to be skittish and I can’t tell you how many times I have missed taking wonderful photos of them simply because I couldn’t get to them before they dove from their perch to hide on the ground.<\/p>\n

As with all the birds that I find it can be extremely frustrating to spot them out in the open in beautiful light in a lovely setting and then not get to them soon enough to photograph them at all.<\/p>\n

This male Spotted Towhee never gave me a clear view of his head but I liked the setting, his red eye and the fluffy catkins in the image. Listening to his song brought me much appreciated joy.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to view more of my Spotted Towhee photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had a few moments to photograph a singing male Spotted Towhee two days ago in Morgan County high in the Wasatch Mountains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":102185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,4594,3542,26,773],"tags":[4004,6577,3940,6521,5370,4062,4069,4104,3546,855,4195,3545,165,5908,4854,6107],"class_list":["post-102203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-morgan-county","category-spotted-towhees","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-branches","tag-canyon","tag-catkins","tag-forest","tag-male","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-pipilo-maculatus","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-spotted-towhee","tag-spring","tag-towhee","tag-towhees","tag-willow"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/spotted-towhee-male-willow-mia-mcpherson-0671.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-qAr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54114,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/09\/14\/molting-juvenile-spotted-towhee\/","url_meta":{"origin":102203,"position":0},"title":"Molting Juvenile Spotted Towhee","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This time of the year male and female Spotted Towhees have finished raising their broods and their young are learning how to be on their own but they do look a touch ragged as they molt into their adult plumage.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Spotted Towhee, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/spotted-towhee-immature-mia-mcpherson-5472.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/spotted-towhee-immature-mia-mcpherson-5472.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/spotted-towhee-immature-mia-mcpherson-5472.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/spotted-towhee-immature-mia-mcpherson-5472.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51947,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/05\/03\/im-looking-forward-to-photographing-green-tailed-towhees\/","url_meta":{"origin":102203,"position":1},"title":"I’m Looking Forward to Photographing Green-tailed Towhees","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Green-tailed Towhees are migratory so I don't see them year round in Utah like I do their close relatives the Spotted Towhees. Green-tailed Towhees spend their winters in the southern most parts of the U.S. and in Mexico and I miss seeing a hearing them while they are away.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Green-tailed Towhee portrait, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-2751.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-2751.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-2751.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-male-singing-sage-mia-mcpherson-1470.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-male-singing-sage-mia-mcpherson-1470.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-male-singing-sage-mia-mcpherson-1470.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-male-singing-sage-mia-mcpherson-1470.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52355,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/05\/31\/green-tailed-towhee-perched-on-a-blooming-utah-serviceberry\/","url_meta":{"origin":102203,"position":3},"title":"Green-tailed Towhee Perched On A Blooming Utah Serviceberry","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent some time up in the canyons of the Wasatch Mountains yesterday photographing the birds I found including this handsome Green-tailed Towhee perched on a blooming Utah Serviceberry.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green-tailed Towhee perched on a Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-flowering-tree-mia-mcpherson-3052.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-flowering-tree-mia-mcpherson-3052.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-flowering-tree-mia-mcpherson-3052.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-flowering-tree-mia-mcpherson-3052.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":104011,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/10\/juvenile-green-tailed-and-spotted-towhee-side-by-side\/","url_meta":{"origin":102203,"position":4},"title":"Juvenile Green-tailed and Spotted Towhee Side By Side","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Until two days ago I had never gotten photos of a juvenile Green-tailed and young Spotted Towhee in the same frame so I was thrilled when I saw them fly in.","rel":"","context":"In "Bird ID"","block_context":{"text":"Bird ID","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/bird-identification\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Green-tailed and Spotted Towhee comparison, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-and-spotted-towhee-young-mia-mcpherson-4203.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-and-spotted-towhee-young-mia-mcpherson-4203.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-and-spotted-towhee-young-mia-mcpherson-4203.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-and-spotted-towhee-young-mia-mcpherson-4203.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":115021,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/08\/05\/raggedy-male-spotted-towhee\/","url_meta":{"origin":102203,"position":5},"title":"Raggedy Male Spotted Towhee","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"This raggedy male Spotted Towhee photo, taken in Morgan County, Utah, two years ago, made me smile when I came across it in my file archives a few days ago.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Raggedy Spotted Towhee male, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, 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