Red fox sparrow
| Red fox sparrow | |
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| Probable eastern fox sparrow Passerella iliaca iliaca |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Passerellidae |
| Genus: | Passerella |
| Species: | P. iliaca |
| Subspecies: | P. i. iliaca |
| Trinomial name | |
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Passerella iliaca iliaca (Merrem, 1786) |
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| Breeding ranges of the four fox sparrow groups | |
Red fox sparrow is the collective name for the most brightly colored taxa in the American sparrow genus Passerella, the Passerella iliaca iliaca group.
Pending wider-spread acceptance of species status, the red fox sparrow is currently classified as a "subspecies group" within fox sparrows.
It has long been suspected to be a separate evolutionary lineage due to morphological distinctness, and this is confirmed by analysis of mtDNA sequence and haplotype data. This group appears to be most closely related to the slate-colored fox sparrows, but it is altogether likely to represent the basalmost divergence of the fox sparrow clade.
The red fox sparrow is a large sparrow with a length of 15–19 cm (6–7.5 inches), wingspan of 27 cm (10.5 inches) and an average weight of 32 grams (1.1 oz). The head is gray with a rufus crown auriculars or ear coverts. Throat is white with a rufus lateral stripe on each side. The lower bill is yellow while the top transitions from yellow at the bottom to black at the top. The breast has reddish brown streaks with a messy central spot. The streaks continue down the flanks but the belly is generally white. The combination of distinct rufus and gray streaks on the back with a gray rump is diagnostic. Sexes are morphologically similar.
Its voice is described as "a loud smack like Brown Thrasher".
Red fox sparrows breed in a wide band that stretches through mostly taiga habitat, from Newfoundland to northern Alaska. Their preferred breeding habitats are dense willow and alder thickets as well as spruce and fir bogs.
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Wikipedia