towhee

[ tou-hee, toh-hee, toh-ee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of several long-tailed North American finches of the genera Pipilo and Chlorura.

towhee

/ ˈtəʊ-; ˈtaʊhɪ /

any of various North American brownish-coloured sparrows of the genera Pipilo and Chlorura

Origin of towhee¹

An Americanism dating back to 1720–30; imitative

Origin of towhee¹

C18: imitative of its note

He is known by an offensive and inapt title—the green-tailed towhee.

White-eyed Towhee (alleni) has white eyes instead of red and less white on the tail; found on the South Atlantic coast.

His mystery of the black ground-bird with a brown mate was resolved into the Common Towhee.

Two eggs of the cowbird and two or three of the towhee in a nest are common.

The green-tailed towhee he is called in the books, though the red of his head is much more conspicuous than the green of his tail.

April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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