LOUISIANA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE

REPORT FORM

1. English and Scientific names: Green-tailed Towhee, Pipilo chlorurus

2. Number of individuals, sexes, ages, general plumage: 1

3. Locality: Parish: Cameron

Specific Locality: ca. 6 mi E of Cameron, just E of Willow Island area.

4. Date(s) when observed: January 22, 2012

5. Time(s) of day when observed: early afternoon, I think around 1:15

6. Reporting observer and address:

Paul Conover

Lafayette LA

7. Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s): Dave Patton

8. Other observers who independently identified the bird(s):

9. Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light): Overcast, but light was sufficient, and bird was below eye level out in the open with a backdrop of vegetation.

10. Optical equipment (type, power, condition): Zeiss 10s

11. Distance to bird(s): within 20 feet

12. Duration of observation: probably about 2-3 minutes overall

13. Habitat: A weedy field with second growth woody fenceline. Fenceline was also grown up in smilax. Weedy field was actually not upright grass, but the canes of some vine that were tightly interwoven to form a short canopy with clear ground beneath it across a fairly wide space. Sparrows and the towhee were moving beneath the low canopy, invisible except when they’d pop up.

14. Behavior of bird / circumstances of observation: Responded to tape of GTTO, or perhaps screech owl. Slowly ascended from thick vegetation onto open branches and fence wire. Gave call periodically, flew around a bit, but remained vocal and came out in a few places.

15. Description: An overall gray and green songbird with a conical bill, roughly the size of a large plump sparrow. Strongly patterned, with bright rusty red-orange cap. Face pattern strongly with dusky background color contrasting sharply with white chin and throat, white malar stripe, and thin white supraloral stripe. White malar stripe extended back to about level of middle of eye; supraloral stripe stopped short of grayish eyering.

Gray of sides of face gave way in rear to greenish tint, beginning just behind eye on supercilium, and along rear edge of auriculars onto nape.

Upper breast and sides of breast gray with broad and blurry gray streaking or marbling distinguishable only with close look; belly slightly paler and warmer (buff-?)gray extending into center breast in vague inverted V. Undertail warmer pale buff-gray.

Mantle about the same gray tone as breast, with some green tinges. Area that appeared to be lesser coverts on folded wings greenish. Flight feathers green or green-edged, distinctly different in color but not contrasting strongly in tone with gray of rest of wing or of mantle. Rump grayish-green, with stronger green on edge from base to 2/3 down length.

Bill grayish, legs horn but feet and joints darker, grayish. Eyes hard to judge from photos, but may be brownish rather than warm brown/rusty. (Eye color has been suggested as a means of ageing GTTO, with dull brown indicating young birds).

16. Voice: Gave a plaintive somewhat coarse scold note.

17. Similar species (include how they were eliminated by your observation): None.

18. Photographs or tape recordings obtained? (by whom? attached?): Yes, Dave and I both photographed the bird, and I videotaped it.

19. Previous experience with this species: A little out west, but never quite as good a look as this.

20. Are you positive of your identification if not, explain: Yes.

21. Date: 1/31/2012