towhee

American

[tou-hee, toh-hee, toh-ee] / ˈtaʊ hi, ˈtoʊ hi, ˈtoʊ i /

noun

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

towhee British

/ ˈtaʊhɪ, ˈtəʊ- /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of towhee

An Americanism dating back to 1720–30; imitative

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The first species they identified — a rufous-sided towhee with a velvety black head, bright red and white breast, and ruby eyes — was the first bird Joanne ticked off on her life list.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2023

The researchers spotted birds in the severely burned patches that they didn’t find in the unburned ones, including the indigo bunting, chestnut-sided warbler and eastern towhee.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2023

The species that were observed more frequently included three types of warblers, cedar waxwing, spotted towhee and California quail.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 6, 2021

An eastern towhee flew by—a large, striking sparrow with rusty breast feathers and dark chocolate wings.

From Slate • Feb. 11, 2019

When the little housekeeper was working over her nest, a brown towhee flew into the tree.

From A-Birding on a Bronco by Merriam, Florence A.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023