Скачать или смотреть Red fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca iliaca)

The red fox sparrow is a subspecies group of the American sparrow genus Passerella, known scientifically as Passerella iliaca iliaca. It is the most brightly colored of the fox sparrows and is a large sparrow measuring 15–19 cm in length with a wingspan of about 27 cm. The red fox sparrow features a gray head with a rufous crown and ear coverts, a white throat with reddish lateral stripes, and a breast with reddish brown streaks and a messy central spot. Its back has distinct rufous and gray streaks with a gray rump, which helps in identification. Both males and females look similar.

Red fox sparrows breed in taiga habitats across a wide band from Newfoundland to northern Alaska, favoring dense willow, alder thickets, and spruce-fir bogs. They typically nest close to the ground or in shrubs and trees and lay 3–5 pale blue or green eggs with brown spots. During winter, they migrate to temperate and subtropical North America, often staying in the northern United States and southern Canada as a stopover on their migration further south.

Their vocalization is described as a loud smack-like sound similar to the Brown Thrasher. They have a diet favoring small seeds and berries and forage on the ground, often scratching through leaf litter.

This sparrow is part of a larger group of fox sparrows which also includes the slate-colored, sooty, and thick-billed varieties, each with distinctive coloration and geographical ranges.

In summary, the red fox sparrow is a large, brightly colored sparrow of northern North America, distinctive for its reddish streaks and gray areas, breeding in taiga habitats and wintering further south in temperate zones.

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