Fox Sparrow

BRUANT FAUVE

Passerella iliaca (Merrem)

 

Common breeder in the northern boreal forest; common migrant elsewhere; occasional in winter in the south.

 

This large sparrow is named for the rufous colour of its rump, tail, wings, and streaked breast, contrasting attractively with the white underparts and grey markings on the head, neck and back. Several western races are much darker, with little or no rufous coloration. These differences are so pronounced that various authorities have split the Fox Sparrow into as many as four distinct species.^1‑4 Up to now, however, the American Ornithologists’ Union has not ratified any such split.

 

The “Red Fox Sparrow” breeds in northern forests from Alaska to Newfoundland and the Maritimes, including much of the northern half of Manitoba. It winters primarily in the eastern United States, and is a common and widespread migrant in southern Manitoba. There are four records of other forms in the province. An individual of the altivagans race of the “Slate-colored Fox Sparrow” was found dead in Winnipeg by Angus Shortt on 15 October 1932.^5,6 A specimen collected (found dead?) by Helen Cooley at Birtle on 11 January 1975 was identified by W. Earl Godfrey as P.i. fuliginosa of the “Sooty Fox Sparrow” group.⁷ A bird at a Balmoral feeder on 30 November 1984 was described simply as “western”.⁸ One in Winnipeg on 27 April 2001 appeared to belong to the confusing Canadian Rocky Mountain form described by Sibley.⁹

 

Fox Sparrows occasionally reach southern Manitoba in late March, but peak migration is usually in mid- to late April, extending into the first half of May in a cold spring. Sometimes hundreds are concentrated in parks and residential areas during inclement weather, whereas in a mild spring only scattered individuals and small groups may be seen. For a few weeks at most, their lusty singing can be heard in parks, gardens and wooded valleys, especially in the southeast. The song is brief but rich and musical, commencing with flute-like notes and ending with lilting phrases. The species also draws attention with its habit of scratching vigorously in leaf litter while seeking seeds and invertebrates. Leaves and debris are sent flying, and the noise suggests a much larger animal is foraging. Fox Sparrows are also attracted to sunflower-seed debris below feeders, or to finer seed scattered on a secluded lawn.

 

Migrants normally reach their breeding range in northern Manitoba by the end of May. There, they nest on or near the ground in damp situations among willows and at the edges of spruce forest. The Nest Record file contains just two cards for this species, documenting pre-1950 nests at Sandhill Lake and Cochrane River in northwestern Manitoba; however, various authors have confirmed nesting at Churchill, Ilford, and Kasmere River.^10‑13 Jehl notes that there is little nesting data for the Churchill area, but cites records of eggs from 12 June to 12 July, nestlings as early as 26 June, and peak hatching in early July.^10,14 Additional, possible nesting localities include Bird, Herchmer and Brochet.^11,13

 

Thompson’s observation that the Fox Sparrow was “quite abundant and breeding” on the west side of the Duck Mountains in June 1884 may reflect a former, more southerly distribution for this species, or it may simply be erroneous.¹⁵ It is perhaps significant that the Manitoba climate was measurably cooler in the 1880s than now.

 

Fall migrants are less conspicuous than spring birds, being more widely scattered and relatively silent. They are most numerous in southern Manitoba between late September and mid-October, but daily counts seldom exceed 10 birds. Individuals occasionally linger into the winter at feeders. There are six Christmas Bird Count records for Manitoba, including two birds at Winnipeg in 2001. Successful overwintering has been recorded at least four times: at Altona, Balmoral, Brandon and Pinawa.¹⁶

 

¹ Rising & Beadle 1995; ² Rising & Beadle 1996; ³ DeBenedictis 1996; ⁴ Zink & Kessen 1999; ⁵ Snyder 1949b; ⁶ ROM specimen no. 29939; ⁷ MM specimen no. 1.2-3316; ⁸ Catherine Thexton, unpublished; ⁹ Sibley 2000; ¹⁰ Jehl & Smith 1970; ¹¹ Godfrey 1953; ¹² Manning 1948; ¹³ Mowat & Lawrie 1955; ¹⁴ Jehl, in preparation; ¹⁵ Thompson 1890; ¹⁶ Taylor & Koes 1995.

 

M. Krueger, P. Taylor