Sooty fox sparrow
| Sooty fox sparrow | |
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| Passerella (iliaca) unalaschcensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Emberizidae |
| Genus: | Passerella |
| Species: | P. (iliaca) unalaschcensis |
| Trinomial name | |
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Passerella iliaca unalaschcensis group (Gmelin, 1789) |
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| Subspecies | |
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About 6, see article text |
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| Breeding ranges of the four fox sparrow groups | |
About 6, see article text
The sooty fox sparrow (Passerella (iliaca) unalaschcensis) contains the darkest-colored taxa in the genus Passerella. It is currently classified as a "subspecies group" within the fox sparrow pending wider-spread acceptance of species status. It has long been suspected to be a separate evolutionary lineage due to morphological distinctness (Swarth 1920), and this is confirmed by analysis of mtDNA sequence and haplotype data (Zink 1994, Zink & Kessen 1999, Zink & Weckstein 2003). This group appears to be most closely related to the thick-billed and/or slate-colored fox sparrows (Zink 1996, Zink & Weckstein 2003).
The sooty fox sparrow complex varies clinally in intensity of color. The upperparts and head are a variable shade of brown with streaks on the underparts of the same color. The northernmost birds are a sandy brown while southernmost birds are a dark coffee-like color. Sooties prefer to breed in willows and alders at the edge of wet habitats. Beadle & Rising (2003) describe their call note as a sharp zitt or thik, while Sibley (2000) says it is a loud smack like that of red fox sparrow.
Six subspecies are usually recognized in the sooty fox sparrow complex, ranging from unalaschensis in the Aleutians to fuliginosa in extreme northwestern Washington:
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