Melozone crissalis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The California towhee (Melozone crissalis) is a bird of the family Passerellidae, native to the coastal regions of western Oregon and California in the United States and Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico.
The taxonomy of this species has been debated. At the higher level, some authors place the towhees in the family Fringillidae. Within the group, there has been debate about whether the distinction between this species and the similar canyon towhee (Melozone fuscus) should be at the specific or subspecific level. The two species used to be grouped together as the brown towhee, yet today they are identified separately, especially because of their differing feather coloration, and the canyon towhee's dark central breast spot. The two populations are quite isolated from each other, and molecular genetics seems to have settled the matter in favor of two distinct species for the present. On the other hand, there seems to be little distinction between the northern and Baja Californian populations within M. crissalis. Nowadays, scientists consider the Abert's towhee as the California towhee's closest relative due to closely aligned DNA and patterns.
Some authorities... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a California Towhee sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 176 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 85th most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a California Towhee in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–July, September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Yosemite National Park's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain against 25 mm in September.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most California 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.
5th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate California Towhee sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 30%), Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 30%) and Cabo Pulmo National Park (Mexico, about 20%).
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the California Towhee that you can see in Yosemite National Park (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Dark-eyed Junco (about 80%), Song Sparrow (about 50%) and Spotted Towhee (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the California Towhee is recorded against all the birds logged in Yosemite National Park (176 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.
