towhee

English - English

Definition of towhee in English English dictionary

Any bird of the genus Pipilo

{n} a species of the bunting, the black pinson

{i} type of bird

Any of several North American songbirds (passerine family Fringillidae, sometimes Emberizidae), long-tailed thicket-dwellers that noisily scratch the ground for food. The name is from the call of the rufous-sided towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), known as chewink in the southeastern U.S.; it ranges from Canada to Central America. About 8 in. (20 cm) long, it has a dark hood, white-cornered tail, and rusty flanks; western subspecies have white-spotted wings. The brown towhee (P. fuscus) of the western U.S. is a plain-looking bird. The green-tailed towhee (Chlorura chlorura), also western, is gray, white, and greenish, with a red-brown cap

The chewink

any of numerous long-tailed American finches

Related Terms

green-tailed towhee

towhee of the Rocky mountain region

towhees

chlorura

towhees

pipilo

Hyphenation

tow·hee