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Fox Sparrow
last update: Mar 25, 2009 12:38 PM
Latin name: Passerella iliaca
Population: 16 million individuals
Cites classified: Least Concern
Where found: Central and western Alaska and northern Canada to the southern shores of the Hudson Bay
Age/ life expectancy: 6 years on average
Wingspan: 25-28 cm
Length: 16-19 cm
Weight: 28-38 g
Mating/Breeding: The male sings to defend his nesting territory and attract a mate. The female builds the nest, a bulky cup made of grass, moss, and twigs, lined with hair, fine grass, moss, and feathers. The nest is located on the ground, in a shrub, or in a tree. Ground nests are usually on a grassy hummock, hidden under dense shrub cover. Nests in shrubs or trees are attached to branches and are usually bulkier, with more twigs than their counterparts on the ground. The female incubates 3 to 4 eggs for 12 to 14 days. Both parents help feed the young, which leave the nest at 9 to 11 days. Pairs generally raise two broods per year.
Eggs: 2-5 pale blue-green eggs, spotted or blotched red-brown
Hibernation: migrates to the eastern and western coasts of the US
Hunting Habits: forages on the ground, but captures insects in the air
Feed on: seed, insects, and small molluscs
Predators: hawks, mammalian carnivores, and possibly snakes
Colour/Body: The Fox Sparrow is a large, chunky sparrow that is highly variable in appearance, depending on geographical region. It is dark and unstreaked on its back, varying from gray-brown, to dark brown, to rufous. The tail is typically redder than the back. The breast is heavily spotted, and the spots are shaped like chevrons that converge in a central spot on the breast. The head is not striped or streaked, the face is plain, and the lower mandible is yellow. The combination of the chevron markings, red tail, plain face, and yellow mandible are good field marks to use to identify the Fox Sparrow.
Subspecies: P. i. iliaca: Red Fox Sparrow is the generally the central and east coast taxa in the genus Passerella. This is the brightest colored group; P. i. unalaschcensis: Sooty Fox Sparrow is the west coast taxa in the genus Passerella. It is browner than the Red Fox Sparrow; P. i. schistacea: Slate-colored Fox Sparrow is the Rocky Mountain taxa in the genus Passerella. It is a tiny-billed bird with a gray head and mantle, brown wings, brown breast streaks, and a russet tail; P. i. megarhyncha: Thick-billed Fox Sparrow is the Sierra Nevada taxa in the genus Passerella. This group features a particularly thick bill.
