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Date: Sun, 06 Jun 2004 14:33:52 -0800
From: Rosalie Lefkowitz <[[email protected]]>
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To: Bill Bousman <[[email protected]]>, [[email protected]],
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Subject: Re: [SBB] Cal Towhee Question
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Here's something on the California Towhee from Ralph Hoffman's 1927
book, "Birds of the Pacific States".

"The song is a feeble imitation of the Wrentit's fine crescendo
performance.  It suggests the syllables "tsip tsip tsip tsip, chur, chur,
chur", given without much animation, and not freely uttered even in the
height of the breeding season."

Rosalie Lefkowitz

Bill Bousman wrote:
> 
> At 08:47 PM 6/4/04, [[email protected]] wrote:
> >Good evening Sbbers.....
> >
> >For the past three nights the resident California Towhee who normally just
> >gives its chink note before retiring is actually singing!  I have never
> >heard a
> >CATO break out into song...Has anyone heard this?  Since they nest here at
> >the
> >house, is this some type of breeding song?
> 
> In my experience, resident birds give a "chink" note at dawn and dusk as
> they outline their territories.  They also have a greeting call, which is a
> sort of a trill as one flies up towards the other.  I believe this is what
> Linda Adams refers to as their "Nuttall's" call, although to my ear it is
> softer and less grating.  But Cal. Towhees also have a song.  The little
> bit I've read suggests that this is given only by unmated males, hence it
> is not heard from paired birds.  In the Palo Alto area, where I bicycle, I
> have found this song quite common through the summer months.  I cannot
> describe this song very well (a problem I have), but it is quite different
> from the greeting trill, although it is largely composed of trills, but
> somewhat melodic.
> 
> Bill
> 
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