Main Species
Fox Sparrow
Adult (Red)
Large, chunky sparrow with a rounded head. Plumage varies; eastern form is rich reddish brown with coarse, blurry streaks. Face is gray; bill is black and yellow.
© Evan Lipton | Macaulay LibraryRhode Island, February 11, 2017Adult (Sooty)
Large, chunky sparrow with rounded head. The "Sooty" form lives along the Pacific Coast. Upperparts are dark brown; face is grayish; bill is gray and yellow.
© Joshua Rudolph | Macaulay LibraryWashington, March 04, 2017Adult (Red)
Males sing a sequence of about a dozen rich, whistled notes lasting 2–3 seconds in all. During summer they sing vigorously at any time from before dawn until after dark.
© Larry Arbanas | Macaulay LibraryAlaska, June 09, 2007Adult (Thick-billed)
Large sparrow with very thick bill. The "Thick-billed" form lives mainly in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains of California and Oregon. Slate gray head and back with brown wings and tail; heavily spotted underparts.
© Scott McCusker | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, April 10, 2017Adult (Slate-colored)
Large, chunky sparrow. Head and back are gray; wings and tail are bright rufous. The "Slate-colored" form breeds in interior western North America and winters mainly along the Pacific Coast.
© Dave Beeke | Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, July 24, 2017Adult (Sooty)
Large, chunky sparrow with gray-and-yellow bill. All forms of Fox Sparrow are heavily spotted or blotched on the underparts. In the "Sooty" form these spots are dark brown to deep reddish brown.
© Grace Oliver | Macaulay LibraryWashington, October 27, 2015Adult (Sooty)
Some "Sooty" Fox Sparrows are a more flat gray brown without the reddish tones. The heavy spots (often chevron shaped) coalesce into larger patches on the breast.
© John Reynolds | Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, February 12, 2017Adult (Slate-colored)
The "Slate-colored" form shows strong contrast between the flat gray head and back and the reddish brown wings and tail.
© Nigel Voaden | Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 25, 2015Adult (Red)
Most Fox Sparrows have yellowish bills with gray tinges to the upper mandible. The "Red" form has a mostly gray face with variable reddish brown on the cheek.
© George Valladares | Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, March 15, 2017Habitat
Found on or near the ground in thickets, overgrown fields, spruce-tamarack bogs, woodland edges, willow and alder tangles, chaparral, manzanita, and other dense brushy areas.
© Luke Seitz | Macaulay LibraryMaine, April 03, 2017