Fox Sparrow - Passerella iliaca
General Description
Species monomorphic. In general, breast and flanks have dirty brown streaks, some of which form a central spot on the breast. Wings, upper tail-coverts, and rectrices rufous to dark sooty brown. Mantle coloration gray with rufous streaks, or unstreaked gray to sooty brown. Bill bicolored, with upper mandible blackish brown and basal edges dull orange or yellow. Lower mandible orangish or yellowish with grayish-brown tip. (Weckstein, J. D., D. E. Kroodsma, and R. C. Faucett. (2002). Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology)
Distribution
Montana Range
Observations in Montana: 1414
Montana CountiesBeaverhead, Big Horn, Broadwater, Carbon, Cascade, Custer, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Granite, Hill, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, McCone, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Park, Pondera, Powell, Ravalli, Rosebud, Sanders, Sheridan, Silver Bow, Teton, Yellowstone
Habitat
Species prefers areas of thick cover, usually around forest edges and brushy woodland edges. Also found in grown-up fields, cut-over woodland, and scrubby woods.
Food Habits
Diet consists mainly of insects. Other food sources include seeds, fruit and plant matter.
Reproductive Characteristics
Near Fortine, egg dates range from June 24 to July 5, although flying young were seen as early as June 12.