Melozone fusca
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% 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 50% of wildlife watchers report a Canyon Towhee sighting in León on a given day, based on 57 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 124 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Canyon Towhee in León on a given day, against about 30% in September, the lowest month. That is one of León's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 170 mm in July. June has too few records to rate.
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.
4th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Canyon Towhee sightings, León ranks 4th at about 50%. The best odds are in Toluca (México, about 80%), Mexico City (México, about 60%) and Puebla (México, about 60%).
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the Canyon Towhee that you can see in León (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Lincoln's Sparrow (about 20%), Chipping Sparrow (about 20%) and Clay-colored Sparrow (about 20%), 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 León (57 verified sightings), 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.
