Eastern Towhee

In mid-April at Duke Farms I was hearing and (to a lesser degree) seeing Eastern Towhees a lot, and I was fairly confident that their mating season was underway (article here). So why was I hearing this fella singing in mid-June?

First - like many passerines - these birds will have 1-3 broods in a season; it's possible that breeding season started over for some birds. (Once laid, Eastern Towhee eggs take up to 13 days to hatch and another 12 days for the hatchlings to fledge. Assuming the parents watch over their fledglings for a couple weeks and it seems plausible that they could be looking to raise another family around 2 months after the 1st set.)

Second, Eastern Towhees tend to be somewhat territorial, so it's possible this little fella was staking its claim to this part of the woods.
June 14, 2022 at Washington Valley Park
Photo 210216990, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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