Pipilo chlorurus
(Green-tailed Towhee)

Physical Description:
Size: 6.25-7" (16-18cm). A slender ground finch. Sexes similar. The body is slate gray with drab-olive wings and tail. Black wing bars. Note white spots on lores and distinct rufous cap

Similar Species- This bird is fairly distinct and is one of the only Idaho songbirds with a green color. It's song resembles a Fox Sparrow.

Song:
Song is a lively mix of slurred notes and short trills. Call is a soft, catlike Mew.

Distribution:
Breeds from southwestern and central Oregon, southeastern Washington, southern Idaho, southwestern Montana, and Wyoming, south through interior mountains to southern California, southern Nevada, central Arizona, and southern New Mexico. Winters from southern California, southern Arizona, and western and southern Texas, south to southern Baja California and central Mexico.

Habitat:
Found in thickets, chaparral, shrublands, and riparian scrub, primarily in mountains in breeding season, to lowland habitats when not breeding. Avoids forested areas.

Diet:
Feeds on seeds, berries, and insects.

Ecology:
Nests in shrub; when nest is approached, female drops down to ground and runs away. Individuals forage in leaf litter, using double-scratch motion.

clutch size varies from 2-4 eggs, but is usually 4. Nestlings are altricial and downy.

Conservation:

Element Code:	ABPBX74010
Status:	Protected nongame species
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S5,NTMB
National Rank:	N5B,N5N

Important State References:
No references are available at this time.