Spotted Towhee

Description:

This small bird was walking along the ground "flicking" up the leaf litter, making a clearly audible noise in the process.

Habitat:

I encountered this bird along the McKittrick Canyon Trail in the Guadalupe National Park of Texas. The following description of the habitat for this canyon can be found at: http://www.nps.gov/gumo/naturescience/na... "Deep within McKittrick Canyon a spring-fed stream flows year round and even through the most severe droughts. The sheltering walls of McKittrick Canyon and the presence of water allow the remnants of Ice Age woodland to survive in a region noted for its heat and aridity. The higher elevations receive twice the amount of rainfall than the surrounding desert, and also preserve a remnant of species widespread during the Last Ice Age."

Notes:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/an... Here is the first reference that I used to try to identify this bird. It won't load with the other references.