{"id":51947,"date":"2018-05-03T05:16:10","date_gmt":"2018-05-03T11:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=51947"},"modified":"2025-10-26T05:47:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T10:47:00","slug":"im-looking-forward-to-photographing-green-tailed-towhees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/05\/03\/im-looking-forward-to-photographing-green-tailed-towhees\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m Looking Forward to Photographing Green-tailed Towhees"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Green-tailed Towhee portrait – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/800, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Green-tailed Towhees are migratory so I don’t see them year round in Utah like I do their close relatives the Spotted Towhees.<\/p>\n

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. I’ve checked eBird and there have been a few sightings of these large, rufous crowned sparrows and I can’t wait to see my my first one of the year.<\/p>\n

Last week I thought I heard one up in the mountains but I can’t be 100% sure when the calls are from a long distance and there is road noise I have to listen over. I know for certain I heard and saw Spotted Towhees but couldn’t get photos of them.<\/p>\n

Last year at the end of May I photographed a very cooperative male Green-tailed Towhee who sang his heart out for quite some time and even came in close enough to take a series of portraits of him that showed beautiful details in his feathers.<\/p>\n

I’ve found these birds to be easier to photograph in the spring when the males are singing on their territories courting any females who might be around because they sing from the tops of shrubs and bushes.<\/p>\n

They forage on the ground and can be very difficult to see because they blend in so well in their habitat.<\/p>\n

Listen to the call and song of a Green-tailed Towhee here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Green-tailedGreen-tailed Towhee in a mountain canyon – Nikon D500, f10, 1\/640, ISO 320, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I think these large sparrows are quite handsome with their rufous crowns, white throat markings, dark mustache stripes, dark brown eyes, greenish backs, wings and tails.<\/p>\n

When excited they raise their rufous crowns and they can look as if they are crests. The towhee above was excited about something when I took photos of him in an alpine canyon.<\/p>\n

I wonder when and where I will see and photograph my first Green-tailed Towhee this year. I can’t wait.<\/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":"

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[27,2212,4594,26],"tags":[4004,6480,4935,3940,4142,5370,3905,1149,6481,4069,4104,8301,8300,2303,4046,4735,855,4195,165,6482,5908,4854],"class_list":["post-51947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-green-tailed-towhees","category-morgan-county","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-alpine","tag-call","tag-canyon","tag-close-up","tag-forest","tag-green-tailed-towhee","tag-males","tag-mountain","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-photograph","tag-photographing","tag-pipilo-chlorurus","tag-portrait","tag-song","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-spring","tag-territories","tag-towhee","tag-towhees"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-close-up-mia-mcpherson-2751.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-dvR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":103119,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/06\/09\/green-tailed-towhee-in-the-uinta-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":51947,"position":0},"title":"Green-tailed Towhee In The Uinta Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"While photographing Yellow-bellied Marmots in the high Uinta Mountains two days ago a Green-tailed Towhee popped into my view on top of a mound of sage.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green-tailed Towhee peeking out of sage, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/green-tailed-towhee-adult-in-sage-mia-mcpherson-6465.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/green-tailed-towhee-adult-in-sage-mia-mcpherson-6465.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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McPherson","date":"July 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Green-tailed Towhee in low light, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-immature-low-light-mia-mcpherson-7739.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-low-light-mia-mcpherson-7739.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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