A towhee is any one of a number of species of birds in the genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Pipilo or Melozone within the family Emberizidae

Emberizidae

The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...

 (which also includes the buntings

Bunting (bird)

Buntings are a group of Eurasian and African passerine birds of the family Emberizidae.They are seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills, and are the Old World equivalents of the species known in North America as sparrows...

, American sparrow

American sparrow

American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns....

s, and junco

Junco

A Junco , genus Junco, is a small North American bird. Junco systematics are still confusing after decades of research, with various authors accepting between three and twelve species...

s).

Towhees typically have longer tails than other emberizids. Most species tend to avoid humans, so they are not well known, though the Eastern Towhee

Eastern Towhee

The Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus, is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been under debate in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the Spotted Towhee were considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee....

 P. erythrophthalamus is bolder as well as more colorful. This species, and some others, may be seen in urban parks and gardens.

There has been considerable debate over the taxonomy of the towhees in recent years. Two species complexes have been identified, the rufous-sided complex (involving Pipilo erythrophthalmus, P. maculatus, P. socorroensis, P. ocai and P. chlorurus), and the brown towhee complex (involving Melozone crissalis, M. fuscus, M. aberti and M. albicollis). The distinction of species within these is uncertain and opinions have differed over the years. Modern authorities distinguish all four species in the brown towhee complex, though M. fuscus and M. crissalis were formerly treated as a single species. Hybrids are frequent between some of the species, particularly between the Mexican races of P. maculatus ("Olive-backed Towhee", P. maculatus macronyx) and P. ocai.

Species list:

• Green-tailed Towhee
  Green-tailed Towhee
  The Green-tailed Towhee, Pipilo chlorurus, is the smallest towhee, but is still one of the larger members of the "American sparrow" family Emberizidae....
  
  , Pipilo chlorurus,
• Collared Towhee
  Collared Towhee
  The Collared Towhee is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and heavily degraded former forest.-External links:*...
  
  , Pipilo ocai,

• "Rufous-sided Towhee" - old name, now split into two species:
  • Eastern Towhee
    Eastern Towhee
    The Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus, is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been under debate in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the Spotted Towhee were considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee....
    
    , Pipilo erythrophthalmus and
  • Spotted Towhee
    Spotted Towhee
    The Spotted Towhee is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been debated in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the Eastern Towhee were considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee...
    
    , Pipilo maculatus which contains the
    • Olive-backed Towhee
      Spotted Towhee
      The Spotted Towhee is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been debated in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the Eastern Towhee were considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee...
      
      , Pipilo maculatus macronyx,

• Socorro Towhee, Pipilo socorroensis,

• "Brown Towhee" - old name, now split into two species:
  • California Towhee
    California Towhee
    The California Towhee, Melozone crissalis, is a bird of the family Emberizidae, native to the coastal regions of western Oregon and California in the United States and Baja California Sur in Mexico....
    
    , Melozone crissalis and
  • Canyon Towhee
    Canyon Towhee
    The Canyon Towhee or Brown Towhee, Melozone fusca , is a bird of the family Emberizidae. It is native to lower-lying areas from Arizona, southern Colorado, and western Texas south to northwestern Oaxaca, Mexico, mostly avoiding the coasts.The taxonomy of the group of towhees to which this species...
    
    , Melozone fuscus,

• Abert's Towhee
  Abert's Towhee
  The Abert's Towhee is a bird of the family Emberizidae, native to a small range in southwestern North America, generally the lower Colorado River and Gila River watersheds, nearly endemic to Arizona, but also present in small parts of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Sonora in Mexico.This...
  
  , Melozone aberti,
• White-throated Towhee
  White-throated Towhee
  The White-throated Towhee is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.-References:...
  
  , Melozone albicollis

External links

• Towhee videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection