I took these photos back in 01/2024 at Patagonia Lake State Park. I don’t believe I have shared them.
I love Towhees. This Green-tailed Towhee is such a beautiful bird with its white throat, distinct rufous head to its olive green wings, back and tail. It’s one of the smallest Towhees with a huge personality.
They are very secretive, so when this one popped up on this rock I was thrilled. Like most Towhees you find them hidden under scrubs while scratching for food on the ground. They prefer shrubby habitats like sagebrush, mountain mahogany and mixed shrublands. They eat seeds, berries and insects.
The Pyrrhuloxia is a red and grayish bird that looks similar to the Northern Cardinal. Sometimes it is referred to as the “desert cardinal”. The Pyrrhuloxia has a beauty all its own with its red face, chest and tail. It prefers arid environments like deserts, mesquite thickets and scrublands. They like to eat seeds, fruit and insects. What a fun word to learn how to pronounce!
Pyrrhuloxia- male
Wolf Song Blog 
Thanks for sharing Sheila. I love Patagonia SP. Now I have to go back and look for the Green-tailed Towhee. I have never seen one before. Sometimes we have the “desert cardinal” visit our feeders. gay
Hi Gay. Hope you and Joe are doing well. I see from your blog you guys are very busy, which is wonderful! The Green-tailed is a fun bird to watch and so colorful. I hope you get to see one! Go out on eBird and look up where they are being sighted.
The Green Tailed Towhee is so pretty. I’ve never seen a Pyrrhuloxia. They do look so like a Female Northern Cardinal! Birding in AZ is on my bucket list and hopefully next Spring will find me there.
When you visit AZ to bird you will be in for a real treat. AZ is an amazing state to bird in. So many fun places to bird. If you are ever in Cottonwood, AZ there is a birding festival every year located in Dead Horse Ranch State Park. This is where it begins. 2025 dates are
April 24 – April 27th. The name of the Festival is – Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival 2025.