Photo: Alan D. Wilson / CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
Abert’s Towhee
Melozone aberti
Abert's Towhee (Melozone aberti) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of North America.
Found across 16 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Abert’s Towhee (Melozone aberti) is a member of the Passerellidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and North America. Adults weigh 45.9 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Passerellidae New World Sparrows
- Genus Melozone
- Species aberti
Quick facts
- Weight
- 45.9 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Passerellidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Abert’s Towhee is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.
Migration
The Abert’s Towhee is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Abert’s Towhee (Melozone aberti) is a species of bird in the Passerellidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America. Its distribution covers NA, MA sw USA and nw Mexico.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 45.9 g, with a wing length of about 9 cm and a tail of around 11.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 170,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Abert’s Towhee?
The Abert’s Towhee is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 45.9 g.
Where does the Abert’s Towhee live?
The Abert’s Towhee is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America with a range covering NA, MA sw USA and nw Mexico, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Abert’s Towhee belong to?
The Abert’s Towhee (Melozone aberti) belongs to the Passerellidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Abert’s Towhee eat?
The Abert’s Towhee is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Abert’s Towhee migrate?
The Abert’s Towhee is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Abert’s Towhee endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Abert’s Towhee make?
1 real field recording of the Abert’s Towhee — including its begging call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Abert’s Towhee's range?
The Abert’s Towhee has a mapped global range of about 170,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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