| The Fox Sparrow is a rusty brown or fox-red above especially on the tail and streaked with gray. They are white below and heavily streaked with chestnut that also forms a breast spot. The face shows a gray eyebrow with a brown patch arrow-shaped patch on the cheek and a thin white eye ring. Song Sparrows are similar but have a dark mustache that will help you separate the two species. The song which is loud and melodious is among the finest in the sparrow family and can sometimes be heard from a roadside thicket during migration.
During the breeding season the Fox Sparrow inhabits the Coniferous forests of northern Canada, Alaska and the western United States in the Rocky Mountain regions. During the winter the Fox Sparrow will migrate to woodland thickets and grassy pastures of the southern United States.
The clutch consists of 4 or 5 pale green eggs heavily spotted with reddish brown. The eggs are placed in a thick walled nest of twigs, grass stems and leaves place on or near the ground. The eggs are incubated for 12 to 14 days mostly by the female and the young fledge the nest 9 to 11 days later.
The Fox Sparrow is mainly a ground feeder and the diet consists mostly of seeds with smaller amounts of fruit and insects. They sometimes gather in small flocks with Juncos and other sparrows while foraging for food on the ground.
Length: 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches
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