Fun Facts About Fox Sparrows

 

  • Typically seen sending up a spray of leaf litter as they kick around in search of food, Fox Sparrows are dark, splotchy sparrows of dense thickets. Named for the rich red hues that many Fox Sparrows wear, this species is nevertheless one of our most variable birds, with four main groups that can range from foxy red to gray to dark brown. Since they breed primarily in remote areas, many people see them in winter when the birds move into backyard thickets.
  • Fox Sparrows are common but retiring birds, so you may have to look carefully to spot one scratching in the leaf litter under a streamside thicket or forest edge tangle. During the summer, in the appropriate habitat, you may hear a male singing his rich, whistling song; in winter look for them on the ground under bird feeders, particularly if they are close to cover.
  • Fox Sparrows breed in thickets and chaparral across northern North America and south along the western mountains. Red” Fox Sparrows live in scrubby, brushy woods and forest edges (containing black spruce, white spruce, balsam fir, tamarack, aspen, birch, willow, and alder) from Alaska to Newfoundland, reaching into the northwestern corner of Maine. They winter in densely thicketed habitats across eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Minnesota to Texas to Florida, and in small numbers farther west.
  • Fox Sparrows forage on leaf litter and bare ground, usually under dense cover. During the breeding season they eat mainly insects—such as beetles, fly larvae, caterpillars, ants, bees, and scale insects. They find their prey with a characteristic “double-scratch” involving a hop forward and an immediate hop back, during which they simultaneously scratch both feet backwards through the leaf litter. (This foraging move is common among some sparrows and towhees.) They also eat other invertebrates (such as spiders, millipedes, and mollusks) along with seeds, fruits, or buds from plants.
  • Fox Sparrows nest on the ground or in low crotches of bushes or trees. Their nesting behavior is not well known, but the female probably builds the nest on her own in 2–3 days.
  • Fox Sparrows spend much of their time hopping on the ground and scratching though leaf litter as they forage for invertebrates. They rarely make long flights during their day-to-day activities. Within one day of arriving on the breeding grounds they establish territories of up to 2.5 acres in size, and they pair off with mates within a week.
  • The oldest recorded Fox Sparrow was at least 10 years, 4 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in California in 2003, the same state where it was originally banded.