California Towhee
Melozone crissalis

The California Towhee lives in western California, southern Oregon, and Baja California. These birds are as comfortable in rugged rural brush and chaparral as they are in urban parks or suburban gardens. Like other towhees, we rarely find these birds as singles, but always in pairs year round.
Many years ago, because of their similarity, these and three other towhees, the Abert’s, Canyon and White-Throated Towhee (from southern Mexico) were lumped together as “Brown Towhee.” This quartet looks and sounds similar to each other, but each has its own geographic distinction. Science has waged a debate on this topic for a hundred years, but now genetic analysis seems to have settled the matter.
Today, science recognises eight subspecies of California Towhee. (Refer to the Range Map here for the regions where each member lives.)
- M. c. petulans lives in coastal northern California from Humboldt County south to the San Francisco Bay.
- M. c. crissalis lives in southwestern Oregon and in California from inland Humboldt County south to coastal central California from Monterey County east to the San Joaquin Valley, and to Kern and Ventura Counties. There is also a population in the Argus Mountains in Inyo County near the border with Nevada.
- M. c. seniucla lives coastally from Los Angeles County, California, south to northwestern Baja California (Mexico).
- M. c. aripolia lives in the middle of the Baja California peninsula.
- M. c. albigula lives in southern Baja California (Mexico).
- M. c. bullata lives from southwestern Oregon to north-central California.
- M. c. carolae lives in the California interior from Humboldt County south to Napa County, and east to the foothills of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada mountains, and on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley into Kern County.
- M. c. petulans lives in northern California along the coastal zone from Humboldt County south to Marin County.
These birds are intimately familiar to me and have been since my earliest childhood in southern California. As a common yardbird, I’ve been able to observe them at home and many of my favorite birding locations in San Diego County.
14 Photos

California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County 2008-09-08. |
Date Taken: 2008:09:08 14:53 |
Location:
Gooden Ranch |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: jcd0054CaliforniaTowhee |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: (Melozone crissalis) A yardbird at my home in Poway, California in San Diego County USA 2005-05-14. |
Date Taken: 2005:05:14 16:25 |
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/7.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD1351CaliforniaTowhee |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2008:09:30 17:08 |
Location:
Gooden Ranch |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 |
File Name: jcd1659CaliforniaTowhee |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


California Towhee(Pipilo crissalis) |
Description: (Melozone crissalis) A bird we met during BioBlitz-2008 day in Balboa Park. San Diego, California USA 2008-05-03. |
Date Taken: 2008:05:03 9:53 |
Location:
Balboa Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 280 mm, f/6.3, 1/160 |
File Name: JCD4794CaliforniaTowhee |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: (Melozone crissalis) Typical ground foraging by a bird at Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County USA 2009-03-29. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:29 17:15 |
Location:
Goodan Ranch |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/160 |
File Name: JCD4838.CaliforniaTowhee |
© 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County 2008-07-29. |
Date Taken: 2008:07:29 16:08 |
Location:
Gooden Ranch |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 |
File Name: jcd9226CaliforniaTowhee |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: Juvenile bird at the Lower Penasquitos Creek or Sorrento Valley. Near Del Mar, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:07:01 11:20 |
Location:
Sorrento |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X0393-CaliforniaTowhee-Juvenile |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: 2005 Poway, California in San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2005:05:14 16:23 |
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/10.0, 1/250 |
File Name: CaliforniaTowhee_JCD1320 |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: Camped with the San Diego Natural History team near Campo California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2017:10:25 8:16 |
Location:
Clover Flat |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: CaliforniaTowhee_D5X5351-CloverFlats |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: Down slope, where Old Mine Road begins its climb to higher ground and the Montezuma Mines near Ranchita, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2014:10:19 8:18 |
Location:
Old Mine Road |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X0743-CaliforniaTowhee |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: Lake Hodges. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:08 10:43 |
Location:
Lake Hodges |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X6781-CaliforniaTowhee |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: This meeting took place at the southern reaches of Morro Bay. One of my favorite regions to explore is California’s central coast. During past visits to this lovely town, I’ve wandered the grounds of the Natural History Museum and found it both peaceful and birdy. |
Date Taken: 2022:03:01 10:11 |
Location:
Museum of Natural History |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: CaliforniaTowhee_8501137-MorroBay |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: This meeting took place at the southern reaches of Morro Bay. One of my favorite regions to explore is California’s central coast. During past visits to this lovely town, I’ve wandered the grounds of the Natural History Museum and found it both peaceful and birdy. |
Date Taken: 2022:03:01 10:11 |
Location:
Museum of Natural History |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: CaliforniaTowhee_8501131-MorroBay |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


California Towhee(Melozone crissalis) |
Description: I met this pair on Parry Grove Trail along the bluffs during the San Diego Natural History Museum's BioBlitz-2010. Torrey Pines State Park. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2010:05:21 16:49 |
Location:
Los Peñasquitos Lagoon
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/7.1, 1/320 |
File Name: JCD7645.CaliforniaTowhee |
© 2010 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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