Melozone fusca
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Canyon Towhee sighting in San Luis Potosí on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 24th most-seen of the 62 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Canyon Towhee in San Luis Potosí on a given day, against about 10% in November to February, the lowest months. Those are among San Luis Potosí's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in July. March and June–October have 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.
6th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Canyon Towhee sightings, San Luis Potosí ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Toluca (México, about 80%), Mexico City (México, about 60%) and Puebla (México, about 60%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Canyon Towhee that you can see in San Luis Potosí (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Vermilion Flycatcher (about 60%), House Sparrow (about 50%) and Great-tailed Grackle (about 50%), 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 San Luis Potosí (12 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.
