Melozone fusca
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The canyon towhee (Melozone fusca) is a bird of the family Passerellidae. Until 1989, the canyon towhee and the California towhee were considered to be a single species which was called the brown towhee. The taxonomy of the group of towhees to which this species belongs is debated. At the higher level, some authors place the towhees in the family Fringillidae. Within the genus, there has been dispute about whether the canyon towhee is a distinct species from the California towhee (Melozone crissalis) found in coastal regions from Oregon and California in the United States through Baja California in Mexico. At present, molecular genetics seems to have settled this issue in favour of separation of the species.
It is 19 to 25 cm (7.5 to 9.8 in) long, and has a noticeably long tail, at 8.2 to 11 cm (3.2 to 4.3 in). This species weighs from 36.5 to 67 g (1+1⁄4 to 2+1⁄4 oz), though on average weigh only around 45 g (1+1⁄2 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 8.2 to 10.1 cm (3.2 to 4.0 in), the bill is 1.4 to 1.7 cm (0.55 to 0.67 in) and the tarsus is 2.3 to 2.7 cm (0.91 to 1.06 in). It is earthy brown in color, with somewhat lighter underparts... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Canyon Towhee sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 2,682 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 270 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to July
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Canyon Towhee in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against about 30% in September to November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Canyon Towhee sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Canyon Towhee sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the Canyon Towhee that you can see in Big Bend National Park (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Chipping Sparrow (about 40%), Black-throated Sparrow (about 40%) and Rufous-crowned Sparrow (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Canyon Towhee is recorded against all the birds logged in Big Bend National Park (2,682 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
