The white-throated towhee is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae that is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.
Region
Southern Mexico
Typical Environment
This species inhabits pine-oak and cloud forest edges, dense shrublands, and brushy clearings in the montane zones of Oaxaca, Guerrero, and adjacent states. It favors tangled understory with ample leaf litter for ground foraging. It also uses second-growth thickets, ravines, and shrubby slopes, often near forest margins. Human-altered habitats with dense hedgerows and coffee understory can be used where sufficient cover remains.
Altitude Range
1500–3200 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Endemic to the highlands of southern Mexico, the white-throated towhee is a ground-loving sparrow that keeps to dense understory. It is named for its bright white throat, which contrasts with a dusky face and brown upperparts. Like other towhees, it forages by vigorous double-scratching in leaf litter. It is largely sedentary and often detected by its clear, whistled phrases from thickets.
Temperament
skulking and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low to the ground
Social Behavior
Usually in pairs or small family groups, maintaining territories year-round. Nests are cup-shaped and placed low in dense shrubs or on the ground, well concealed by vegetation. Both sexes engage in ground foraging, and pairs often keep in contact with soft calls from cover.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of clear, mellow whistles delivered from low perches within thickets, often in short phrases that rise and fall. Calls include sharp tsip notes and soft chip sounds given while foraging.
Plumage
Brown upperparts with a grayish head and breast, contrasting bright white throat bordered by darker malar lines; warm rufous flanks and clean whitish belly.
Diet
Feeds on seeds, small fruits, and a variety of invertebrates such as beetles, ants, and caterpillars. It often forages by double-scratching in leaf litter to expose hidden prey. Seasonal availability of insects and berries can shift the diet toward animal matter in the wet season and more seeds in the dry season.
Preferred Environment
Forages on the ground under dense shrubs, along forest edges, and in brushy ravines with ample leaf litter. Will also use semi-open second growth and hedgerows provided there is thick cover nearby.
