Common Name: Abert’s Towhee
Scientific Name: Melozone aberti
Order/Family: Passeriformes/Passerellidae (New World Sparrows)
Description: Abert’s towhee has black around the bill, extending to the eye, with brown/cinnamon on the upper body. Underparts are paler grey-brown, with rusty-brown vent. The tail is long and dark, with cinnamon undertail coverts. The bill is conical and pale grey to pink. The eyes are reddish-brown, sturdy legs and feet are pinkish brown.
Distribution: Abert’s Towhee is 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. In Las Vegas it is common but elsewhere it is rare or unseen.
Habitat: Desert woodlands, streamside thickets, at low altitude. It is also found in suburban yards and orchards.
