Any of several North American songbirds ( passerine family Fringillidae, sometimes Emberizidae), long-tailed thicket-dwellers that noisily scratch the ground for food.
The name is from the call of the rufous-sided towhee ( Pipilo erythrophthalmus ), known as chewink in the southeastern U.S.; it ranges from Canada to Central America. About 8 in. (20 cm) long, it has a dark hood, white-cornered tail, and rusty flanks; western subspecies have white-spotted wings. The brown towhee ( P. fuscus ) of the western U.S. is a plain-looking bird. The green-tailed towhee ( Chlorura chlorura ), also western, is gray, white, and greenish, with a red-brown cap.
Rufous-sided towhee ( Pipilo erythrophthalmus )
John H. Gerard from The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers