Juvenile Green-tailed and Spotted Towhee comparison – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
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. I was high in the Wasatch Mountains and noticed the two young birds when they landed side by side on an old willow branch on the opposite side of the creek I was parked next to.
Before I even got my lens on them I recognized the bird on the left as a young Green-tailed Towhee and the bird on the right as a young Spotted Towhee. I thought that it was interesting that these two birds were associating with each other. The young towhees moved around on the branches together and they also flew off and left the area together.
I did a little research on birdsoftheworld.org and found out that young Spotted Towhees are gregarious with other young Spotted Towhees after they become independent from their parents. The juvenile Spotted Towhee may have been simply following the young Green-tailed Towhee around. I can’t be sure but I did think that the behavior of these two young towhees was interesting.
Green-tailed Towhee adult on a spring morning – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Green-tailed Towhees are migratory and they are only in my area of Utah for the breeding season. The photo above shows what the juvenile Green-tailed Towhee will look like when it matures. Male and female Green-tailed Towhees are sexually monochromatic although some females have slightly duller plumage than males.
Spotted Towhee male on a snowy winter morning – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO 1000, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Spotted Towhees are year round residents in northern Utah. Spotted Towhees are sexually dichromatic with females being browner and paler than males. The young Spotted Towhee in the photo at the top will look like this adult male by next spring if it is a male. The juvenile Spotted Towhee was too young for me to identify its gender when I photographed it two days ago.
I truly enjoyed having both young towhees in my viewfinder at the same time.
On a completely separate note, today is the thirteenth anniversary of my move to Utah. I woke up 13 years ago in Grand Island, Nebraska and arrived at the mouth of Parleys Canyon about 6 p.m. that evening with my worldly goods behind my trusty Jeep Cherokee in a U-haul trailer. I should do another cross country trip to somewhere. I love the open road!
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to view more of my Green-tailed Towhee photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here to view more of my Spotted Towhee photos plus facts and information about this species.
Great Towhee pics. The ripple effect of your move to Utah has made a lot of folks happy. Your posts and the incredible images you provide gives us something to look forward to every day. Thanks Mia.
WHAT a treat. For you and for us.
Great story. If you seek the open road, head East and come see me! You would love Maine!!! Happy anniversary of your move to Utah. I wish I had met you when we lived there, but we moved away in 2007.