Birding: The eastern towhee, a secretive state bird

There's one bird that we may hear more often than actually see. It's called the eastern towhee, a fairly secretive Illinois bird who lives in dense underbrush.

Two things give this handsome bird away –  the towhee's memorable "drink your tea" song and it's peculiar habit of loudly foraging in the leaves, a deceptive sound that makes you think whatever is in that brush pile must be a big animal.

David Allen Sibley, in his excellent book, "The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior," notes eastern towhees use a "double-scratch" foraging technique.

"In one abrupt sequence, while the body remains relatively stationary, a slight hop allows both feet to reach far forward, then sweep backward, kicking leaf matter out from the bird to reveal food items," Sibley writes. Thus, the loud noise.

Sibley says this technique "allows the eastern towhee to position its head directly over the area being scratched, so that the bird is ready to pounce on any food item exposed."

Other ground-dwelling birds that use the double-scratch method with less noise are juncos, fox sparrows, and white-crowned and white-throated sparrows.

Eastern towhees have some other unique characteristics. According to www.wild-bird-watching.com, a wonderful birding resource, the female towhee builds a well-disguised nest on the ground, without her mate's help, and never flies directly to it. Instead, she lands several feet away, then surreptitiously walks to the nest, using available foliage to conceal her entrances and exits.

Also, if a predator comes near the nest, the female towhee will run rather than fly, and try to lead the animal away by feigning a broken wing.

Meanwhile, the male towhee rarely comes near the nest until the chicks hatch. Then, he helps his mate feed and rear them.

Male and female towhees keep in touch with each other through the dense underbrush by using a chewink call, the website states.

To photograph this elusive bird, I spread bird seed on the ground where my lawn butts up against thick shrubbery.

Some birders attract eastern towhees by putting bird seed on a platform or tray on the ground. It's important to be patient because the slightest motion will cause towhees to scoot into the underbrush.

Towhees spend their winter as far south as Guatemala and their summer in areas throughout the Midwest and southern Canada. This seven to eight-inch colorful bird is a member of the sparrow family.

Enjoy!

Bill Hobbs, a birding enthusiast and Lakeland College instructor, writes from his home in Wisconsin. Hobbs has relocated from Barrington, Ill. Contact him with comments, bird sightings and suggestions at whobbs246@gmail.com.