Diet

What do green-tailed towhees eat?

Seeds and insects scratched from leaf litter under shrubs.

New World sparrows (Passerellidae)Green-tailed TowheePipilo chlorurus

Spring and summer diet

  • Beetles, ants and caterpillars

Fall and winter diet

  • Grass and forb seeds

Best feeder foods

  • Millet
  • Hulled sunflower (on the ground)

Scratches under mountain shrubbery and visits ground feeding areas near dense cover, especially on migration.

Which feeder works best for green-tailed towhees →

Where green-tailed towhees need winter food

Regions where green-tailed towhees are present in the cold months:

Frequently asked

What do green-tailed towhees eat?

Seeds and insects scratched from leaf litter under shrubs.

What is the best food to feed green-tailed towhees?

Millet, Hulled sunflower (on the ground).

What do green-tailed towhees eat in winter?

Grass and forb seeds.

Sources

  1. Green-tailed Towhee — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  2. Green-tailed Towhee life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  3. Green-tailed Towhee — Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.