{"id":93204,"date":"2021-08-12T05:40:01","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T11:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=93204"},"modified":"2022-07-10T07:32:08","modified_gmt":"2022-07-10T13:32:08","slug":"worn-adult-green-tailed-towhee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/08\/12\/worn-adult-green-tailed-towhee\/","title":{"rendered":"Worn Adult Green-tailed Towhee – Breeding Season Can Be Rough On Their Feathers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WornWorn adult Green-tailed Towhee in a willow \u2013 Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the migrant birds that breed and nest in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a> have raised their young to fledging and that can be rough on the feathers of the adults. This time of the year I see more than a few adult birds whose feathers look worn. Some species that nest in thickets, shrubs, and trees have damage caused by leaves and branches near their nests and that doesn’t even take into account all the forays they make into spots that are rough on their feathers to find food for their young.<\/p>\n

After a week at home because of smoky skies I ventured into the mountains and one of the first birds I photographed was this worn looking Green-tailed Towhee. This towhee’s feathers don’t look as fresh as they would have in the early part of the breeding season but I’ve seen and photographed worse wear.<\/p>\n

\"MoltingMolting messy looking Green-tailed Towhee \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 1250, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This adult Green-tailed Towhee photographed three years ago today was a real<\/em> mess. At first I thought the poor towhee had survived an attack by a predator but in this case it was going through a hard molt. I felt bad for this adult towhee because it can get cool at night in the mountains even in August and its neck was practically bare of feathers.<\/p>\n

Although the breeding season is rough on Green-tailed Towhees feathers and can cause them to look worn their molting season starts in July which luckily is around the time period after their young fledge and is also pre-migration.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Green-tailed Towhee peeking out of a willow \u2013 Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though the adult Green-tailed Towhee I photographed yesterday looked a touch on the worn side it will molt and have fresh feathers soon. By the time this towhee migrates it should look a lot spiffier than it did yesterday.<\/p>\n

I can empathize with the birds. I know I looked older and messier after raising my own two sons to adulthood and I didn’t have to worry about keeping feathers in good condition!<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

After a week at home because of smoky skies I ventured into the mountains and one of the first birds I photographed was this worn looking Green-tailed Towhee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":104020,"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":[27,2212,1731,26,773],"tags":[4004,3940,3905,2312,2313,4069,2303,9626,855,4195,2315,5908,4854,6107,6070,902,2317],"class_list":["post-93204","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-mountains","tag-adult","tag-canyon","tag-green-tailed-towhee","tag-molt","tag-molting","tag-mountains","tag-pipilo-chlorurus","tag-riparian-habitat","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-summer-3","tag-towhee","tag-towhees","tag-willow","tag-willow-thicket","tag-willows","tag-worn"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-in-willows-mia-mcpherson-3843.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-ofi","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":104572,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/28\/low-light-young-green-tailed-towhee\/","url_meta":{"origin":93204,"position":0},"title":"Low Light Young Green-tailed Towhee","author":"Mia 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, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-immature-low-light-mia-mcpherson-7739.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-immature-low-light-mia-mcpherson-7739.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":93204,"position":1},"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":73468,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/09\/05\/molting-immature-green-tailed-towhee\/","url_meta":{"origin":93204,"position":2},"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, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-immature-molting-mia-mcpherson-8122.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-immature-molting-mia-mcpherson-8122.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":102676,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/05\/27\/green-tailed-towhee-singing-from-a-treetop\/","url_meta":{"origin":93204,"position":3},"title":"Green-tailed Towhee Singing From A Treetop","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I was delighted to observe, hear and photograph a beautiful Green-tailed Towhee singing from a treetop two days ago high in the Wasatch Mountains.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Treetop Green-tailed Towhee singing, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/green-tailed-towhee-singing-tree-top-mia-mcpherson-9448.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/green-tailed-towhee-singing-tree-top-mia-mcpherson-9448.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/green-tailed-towhee-singing-tree-top-mia-mcpherson-9448.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/green-tailed-towhee-singing-tree-top-mia-mcpherson-9448.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72757,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/08\/17\/green-tailed-towhees-he-she-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":93204,"position":4},"title":"Green-tailed Towhees – He? She? It?","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This is probably far more information on \"He? She? It?\" than anyone wanted to see this morning but after photographing the adult and immature Green-tailed Towhees yesterday I thought this was a great time to do this post.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult and immature Green-tailed Towhees in a serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-adult-immature-mia-mcpherson-4263.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-adult-immature-mia-mcpherson-4263.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-adult-immature-mia-mcpherson-4263.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/green-tailed-towhee-adult-immature-mia-mcpherson-4263.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":104869,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/08\/10\/young-green-tailed-towhee-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":93204,"position":5},"title":"Young Green-tailed Towhee In The Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On Sunday I was delighted when this damp young Green-tailed Towhee popped up on an old weathered stump out in the open for a few moments.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Green-tailed Towhee on a old weathered stump, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/green-tailed-towhee-young-stump-mia-mcpherson-1507.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/green-tailed-towhee-young-stump-mia-mcpherson-1507.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/green-tailed-towhee-young-stump-mia-mcpherson-1507.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/green-tailed-towhee-young-stump-mia-mcpherson-1507.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}