Fox Sparrow

Overview

Fox Sparrow: Large sparrow, varies from dark or gray-brown in the west, rufous in the east; upperparts may be so dark that back pattern is hard to see. Heavily streaked upperparts, converging at midbreast into a large, dark spot. Rust-brown tail. Bill has dark upper mandible, yellow lower mandible.

Range and Habitat

Fox Sparrow: Breeds from the Aleutians and mainland Alaska east to northern Quebec and Maritimes, and south to southern California and Colorado. Preferred habitats include thickets and edges of coniferous, mixed, or second-growth forests or chaparral.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Fox Sparrow is much larger than other sparrows.
Adults are known to perform a broken-wing display to lure potential threats away from the nest.
They scratch in leaves for insects and seeds and often make so much noise that they sound like a much larger animal.
A group of Fox Sparrows are collectively known as a "den", "flock", and "slyness" of sparrows.

The Fox Sparrow is rated at this time as Least Concern. The rating of this bird was previously Lower Risk. That rating was downgraded to Least Concern in 2004 to reflect the population and the range of the Fox Sparrow. The population of the Fox Sparrow is thought to be around 16 million birds. This bird species is native to North America and the Caribbean. It is also sometimes seen in parts of Europe as well. There are no known threats facing the Fox Sparrow at this time.