{"id":104572,"date":"2022-07-28T03:33:33","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T09:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=104572"},"modified":"2022-07-28T03:34:09","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T09:34:09","slug":"low-light-young-green-tailed-towhee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/28\/low-light-young-green-tailed-towhee\/","title":{"rendered":"Low Light Young Green-tailed Towhee"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"YoungYoung Green-tailed Towhee in low light \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/250, ISO 1600, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Three mornings ago before the sun rose high enough to light up a willow thicket a young Green-tailed Towhee perched on a branch directly in front of me. Because the light was low I cranked up my ISO and photographed the immature towhee. I’m not about to pass up an opportunity to photograph this species just because the light wasn’t the best.<\/p>\n

Young Green-tailed Towhees can be as secretive and skulky as the adults are after breeding season is over. To put it lightly, I was thrilled when this one landed on the branch.<\/p>\n

When this Green-tailed Towhee grows up it will have the characteristic rusty colored feathers on its head. It will also have a brighter greenish tail, more green on its wings and its throat will be much whiter. Right now though it blends into its habitat more easily than the adults do.<\/p>\n

I find Green-tailed Towhee adult most often by ear at the start of the breeding season. Their calls<\/span><\/a> and songs<\/span><\/a> give me auditory clues as to where they are located and then I can use my eyes to pinpoint where they are. This time of the year the males are quieter than they were just a few weeks ago because their breeding season is coming to an end.<\/p>\n

In Utah I find this species in high elevations in the Uinta and Wasatch Mountains in sagebrush covered areas. I also see them in the sky island mountains of the West Desert. In deserts I look for them in grasslands and dry washes and I also find them near freshwater seeps in deserts as well.<\/p>\n

Green-tailed Towhees are migratory unlike the Spotted Towhees in northern Utah which are year round residents. I always get excited to see my first of year Green-tailed Towhees but feel sad when I find and photograph the last one I see each year. It will be a while before that happens though.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

Three mornings ago before the sun rose high enough to light up a willow thicket a young Green-tailed Towhee perched on a branch directly in front of me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":104569,"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":[27,2212,1731,26,2607],"tags":[4897,3940,3905,4067,4071,156,4069,4104,2303,9626,855,4195,2315,5908,4854,4193],"class_list":["post-104572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-green-tailed-towhees","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-county","tag-branch","tag-canyon","tag-green-tailed-towhee","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-low-light-2","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-pipilo-chlorurus","tag-riparian-habitat","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-summer-3","tag-towhee","tag-towhees","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-immature-low-light-mia-mcpherson-7739.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-rcE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":73468,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/05\/molting-immature-green-tailed-towhee\/","url_meta":{"origin":104572,"position":0},"title":"Molting Immature Green-tailed Towhee","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Green-tailed Towhees that hatched this year undergo a molt on or near their natal breeding grounds prior to fall migration.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Green-tailed Towhee in molt, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-immature-molting-mia-mcpherson-8122.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-towhee-immature-molting-mia-mcpherson-8122.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green-tailed Towhee singing on a flowering branch, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-mia-mcpherson-2188.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-mia-mcpherson-2188.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-mia-mcpherson-2188.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-mia-mcpherson-2188.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59190,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/07\/25\/immature-green-tailed-towhee-next-to-a-creek\/","url_meta":{"origin":104572,"position":5},"title":"Immature Green-tailed Towhee Next To A Creek","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This was the first immature Green-tailed Towhee I have seen this breeding season and I am hoping that it won't be the last one I photograph this year.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Green-tailed Towhee, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, 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