The GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE is a widespread breeder in montane chaparral throughout the higher mountains of California. All these migrate generally southwards in winter, and some winter in the southern California deserts in small numbers. An occasional bird will winter in coastal California, much more often in southern California than in the north. Migrants can occur just about anywhere but are rarely observed because the species is very secretive when not singing on territory. Coastal migrants are particularly scarce and mostly found during the fall.

Most of my California records are of breeding birds on territory. The only ones listed below are a handful of wintering birds in the southern deserts, local MTY vagrants, and the few migrants encountered. Those vagrants preceded by H were found or co-found by me personally; those preceded by K receive some partial credit (e.g., I was involved in sorting out i.d. of a previously discovered bird or refound a vagrant that had been thought to have left).

10/26/74 Tijuana R. valley SD    1 migrant
6/26/77 SE Farallon I. SF 1 newly arrivied vagrant (helped band it)
12/22/77 Brock Ranch IMP 2; regularly winter in small numbers in s.e. CA
3/5/78 Glamis IMP    1 wintering
12/28/79  Pacific Grove MTY 1 at feeder Shell & Beach Sts.; brief details in my notes
1/11 & 16/97 Zmudowski SB, MTY 1 wintering in coastal scrub; brief details in my notes
H 10/21-11/2/02 +  Pacific Grove MTY    1 at our home feeder, spotted first by Rita but I got the name out .....

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