Nashville resident and casual birder Ariel Dunham, observed Tennessee’s first Green-tailed Towhee since 1957 in her yard on May 10th. There are only three previous records for a Green-tailed Towhee in Tennessee, according to Birds of Tennessee: A New Annotated Checklist.
Ms. Dunham, was working from home, when she looked out her window and noticed the unusual visitor under her feeders. Unsure what the bird was, she took a picture and sent it to her mother who identified it as a Green-Tailed Towhee.
Her mother told her it would be a bird of interest birders and suggested she should consider posting it onlineto notify the birding community. She also warned her the response would likely be huge.
Birders from across the state did not disappoint. Nearly 150 birding reports were made to eBird which listed the Green-tailed Towhee. There were likely dozens more who observed the Green-tailed Towhee, but who do not post sightings to eBird. Ms. Dunham played an amazing host to everyone who came to see the bird.
Sadly, the Towhee was last observed on Thursday, May 14, 2021. It likely moved out with the change in the weather front.
