In May of 2006, I began seeing Green-tailed Towhees (Pipilo chlorurus) scratching around in the dirt for fallen seeds under my thistle seed feeders.

These ground-dwelling sparrows are olive green above and gray below with a rufous cap and yellow-tinged wings and tail. The sexes are similar in appearance.

Green-tailed Towhees are mostly here in Tucson during the winter, and it is not common to see them after April. I'm not sure how much longer the Green-tailed Towhees will remain here before migrating to their more northerly breeding grounds.