A member of the sparrow family, Eastern Towhees are larger than most of its family members, being closer to the size of a robin than a typical sparrow. These songbirds have very distinctive color patterns, with males having black feathers on their backs, wings, heads, and the top of their chests, reddish brown coloring on their sides, and white bellies. The females have similar coloring, but where the males are black, the females are brown.
These birds can be relatively secretive, typically foraging amongst the leaf litter. But during breeding season, they can be easily heard with their distinctive “chewink” calls. Thus, they are more often heard than seen. These birds don’t often over-winter in our area, but are a short distance migrator, only going a little further south for winter. Eastern Towhees occasionally visit feeders but prefer feeders that are closer to the brushy areas where they typically forage. Nests are generally less than 6’ off the ground, or are hidden on the ground under a bush, and typically contain 2-4 eggs. Most pairs will raise 2 broods per year.
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As the state bird of Maryland and mascot of Baltimore’s baseball team, the Baltimore Oriole is quite familiar among Marylanders, however, they are not seen as often as one might think.
The Red Winged Black Bird is one of the most common black birds in our area, and the males are very recognizable with their all black feathers and reddish orange and yellow shoulder patch that can be tucked among their black feathers or left out in the open in full display.
A member of the Thrush family, the Hermit Thrush is seen in our region throughout the winter months and spends its time foraging through the understory.
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