Mystery bird: California towhee, Melozone crissalis
This large finch has experienced a bit of an identity crisisCalifornia towhee, Melozone crissalis (formerly; Pipilo crissalis; protonym, Fringilla crissalis), also known as the Californian or brown towhee, photographed at Shollenberger Park, Petaluma, California, USA. Image: Joseph Kennedy, 26 December 2010 [velociraptorize].Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece1/400s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400 Question: This brown North American mystery bird species may be a subspecies rather than a true species. Can you name this bird and its sister (sub)species? Response: This is an adult California towhee, Melozone crissalis. This bird's former scientific name was Pipilo crissalis and its protonym was Fringilla crissalis. The taxonomy of this songbird is controversial. Most authors place the towhees in the family, Fringillidae, or true finches. But within that group, there is debate about whether the distinction between this species and the similar canyon towhee, Melozone fuscus, is sufficient enough to support these two...
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