The red fox sparrow is the collective name for the most brightly colored
taxa in the
New World sparrow genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''Passerella'', the ''Passerella iliaca iliaca'' group.
Taxonomy
Pending wider-spread acceptance of species status, the red fox sparrow is currently classified as a "subspecies group"
[Not defined by the ]ICZN
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the I ...
within
fox sparrow
The fox sparrow (''Passerella iliaca'') is a large New World sparrow. It is the only member of the genus ''Passerella'', although some authors split the species into four (see below).
Taxonomy
More specific information regarding plumage is avai ...
s.
It has long been suspected to be a separate
evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
ary lineage due to
morphological distinctness,
[ and this is confirmed by analysis of mtDNA ]sequence
In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is calle ...
and haplotype
A haplotype ( haploid genotype) is a group of alleles in an organism that are inherited together from a single parent.
Many organisms contain genetic material ( DNA) which is inherited from two parents. Normally these organisms have their DNA or ...
data. This group appears to be most closely related to the slate-colored fox sparrow
The slate-colored fox sparrow (''Passerella (iliaca) schistacea'') group comprises the Rocky Mountain taxa in the genus ''Passerella''. It is currently classified as a "subspecies group"Not defined by the International Code of Zoological Nomencla ...
s,[ but it is altogether likely to represent the ]basal
Basal or basilar is a term meaning ''base'', ''bottom'', or ''minimum''.
Science
* Basal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features associated with the base of an organism or structure
* Basal (medicine), a minimal level that is nec ...
most divergence of the fox sparrow clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
.[
]
Description
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 rufous crown auriculars or ear coverts. The throat is white with a rufous lateral stripe on each side. The lower bill is yellow, while the upper bill 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. The sexes are morphologically similar.
Vocalization
Its voice is described as "a loud smack like Brown Thrasher".
Behavior
Reproduction
Red fox sparrows breed in a wide band that stretches through mostly boreal forest
Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
, from Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
to northern Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. Their preferred breeding habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s are dense willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...
and alder thickets, as well as spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
and fir
Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...
bogs.
Red fox sparrows may nest on the ground, or in shrubs and trees. They typically nest less than 2 metres off the ground. A clutch consists of 3–5 pale blue to pale green eggs that are thickly spotted with brown. Incubation lasts between 12 and 14 days. The eggs are mostly incubated by the female, though both sexes feed the young. Young birds are altricial and fledge in 9 to 11 days.
Wintering and migration
They winter in temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
and subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
North America; in the northern United States and southern Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
they often only stop over on their migration further south. The spring migration starts around February, and by early May almost all birds have returned to the breeding grounds. In fall, they start to move south around early October and by mid-November, only the last stragglers still remain up north.[
]
Ranges and geographic variation
Geographic variation in the ''iliaca'' subspecies group is minor compared to individual variation, both in morphology and molecular data samples. The Yukon fox sparrow (''Passerella iliaca zaboria'') differs from the nominate subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
, the eastern fox sparrow (''Passerella iliaca iliaca''), only in having a grayer head and a browner malar stripe
The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside ...
on average. The morphological distinction between the subspecies is not pronounced and the birds are not resident all year; therefore, positive identification within the red fox sparrow group is often not possible in the field, at least in some regions.[
However, the populations occupy different ranges, apparently—as far as they can be distinguished—with just a small band of overlap. The contact zone is roughly the area between the Nelson and Lower Churchill Rivers, ]Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, in summer. In winter, the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
and the U.S. states of Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
and Georgia mark the approximate boundary between the two subspecies' ranges. ''P. i. iliaca'' occurs from southern Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
and Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
east to and then along the coast north to southern Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
; it ranges south to the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
and northern Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, whereas ''P. i. zaboria'' occurs from southeastern Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
to the Great Plains
The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...
, south to Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and east to the zone of overlap mentioned above.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q27636845
red fox sparrow
The red fox sparrow is the collective name for the most brightly colored taxa in the New World sparrow genus ''Passerella'', the ''Passerella iliaca iliaca'' group.
Taxonomy
Pending wider-spread acceptance of species status, the red fox sparrow ...
Native birds of Alaska
Birds of Canada
red fox sparrow
The red fox sparrow is the collective name for the most brightly colored taxa in the New World sparrow genus ''Passerella'', the ''Passerella iliaca iliaca'' group.
Taxonomy
Pending wider-spread acceptance of species status, the red fox sparrow ...
red fox sparrow
The red fox sparrow is the collective name for the most brightly colored taxa in the New World sparrow genus ''Passerella'', the ''Passerella iliaca iliaca'' group.
Taxonomy
Pending wider-spread acceptance of species status, the red fox sparrow ...