Spotted towhee
Pipilo maculatus
Spotted towhee is a bold ground-foraging sparrow that scratches through leaf litter and shrubs at the edges of gardens, paths, and thickets.
Towhees are closely tied to brushy cover and loose organic ground layers, so they are often a good sign that a landscape still has shelter and invertebrate life near the soil surface. They benefit from dense shrubs, hedges, and quieter edges rather than overly simplified open lawns.