7x12 Oil on Brown Walnut
 
The Eastern towhee is really a large and striking species of sparrow.  His coloring is strong with rufous sides, white belly and black wings.  He even has red around his eyes. He has a fairly strong fidelity to breeding territories. The nest generally takes 3-5 days to build and nesting depends on the weather and location in the Eastern states.  He eats on the ground using a scratching technique where both feet kick back simultaneously and never catches food out of the air.