A Great, Old Bird

Ten-year-old California Towhee banded at the Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary in Orange County.

Reprinted from the Audubon California website:

You never know what you're going to find when you're banding birds.

Last week at the Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary, we came across a recaptured California Towhee that is at least 10 years old. This individual was originally banded in December 2008. It's a little battered, but for such an old bird, it is in fantastic shape. Let's hope it is getting ready to breed and perhaps we'll be lucky enough to catch it again next year.

The oldest California Towhee on record was just over 12 years old.

Happy Birding!
J.J.