The Spotted Towhee gets its name from the spots on the wing and back and its “tow-hee” call. Once called the Rufous-Sided Towhee, the species has been split into the Western Spotted Towhee and the Eastern Towhee. Typically seen as individuals, they can be heard scratching on the ground with both feet at once, Uncovering invertebrates and seeds under leaves and twigs. Towhees are easy to distinguish as they do a two-footed backwards hop during foraging, eating mainly seeds, although in the breeding season they prefer arthropods. About the size of a robin, the male, with its rusty sides, black head, and white belly, is unmistakable. The female color pattern is much the same except that where he is black, she is brownish and a bit duller.
Spotted Towhees live and nest in thickets and at the edges of brushy woodlands, gardens, and shrubby park areas. They occasionally sun themselves, lying down on the grass with feathers spread.