At the last WOS meeting, Judy Roan showed photos of what was presumably a
largely rufous Spotted Towhee that appeared briefly in her yard. Apparently
such individuals have been seen with some frequency in the past, at least
in the East. Here is a published description of one. (Judy, if you read
this, would you let me know?).

"On 3 June 1968 I collected a first-year male...Rufous-sided Towhee on
its territory in Piscataway Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey....The
specimen is unique in the extent of chestnut and rufous in its plumage,
and is unquestionably an erythristic form....Feathers on the crown and
occiput are broadly tipped (distal one-quarter) with chestnut and black
basally. The forehead bears fewer chestnut-tipped feathers. Overall the
effect is a distinct chestnut cap only a little less complete (black
present) than that found in pure ocai. [Pipilo ocai is the Collared Towhee
of southern Mexico]

"Unlike other partly chestnut towhee specimens reported in the literature
where the color is restricted to the pileum, the present specimen has
chestnut-tipped feathers on parts of the body and wings as well. Contour
feathers tipped with chestnut are most priminent on the breast, lower
back, and upper tail coverts, where they produce a spotted and blotched
effect. Regions with a few chestnut-tipped feathers, or with a faint
suffusion of rusty on otherwise black barbs, include the upper back,
throat (mostly black), malar region, auriculars, and side of the neck.
The rump is uniformly black. Chestnut also appears prominently on the
tips of the greater and middle secondary coverts forming two incomplete
wing bars. The specimen is also unusual in having more rufous on the
white underparts. Rufous is prominent on the upper abdominal region as
well as on the sides and flanks where it is characteristic...."

Those of you who checked the web site for the odd sparrow found in Durham,
NC, might have already seen this.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html