Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)

Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca


The Fox Sparrow is a small brown passerine bird (Family:Emberizidae, Order: Passeriformes). The sparrow has a streaked belly and a thick and short finch-style bill. The color of the sparrow's plumage varies and many species or subspecies of the Fox Sparrow have been suggested. This Californian bird has a uniform dark-brown-colored back.

Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca


Among the three or four groups of fox sparrows, the 'Sooty' fox sparrows have uniformly dark-brown-colored backs and dark-brown streaked throats (*). The 'Sooty' fox sparrows have dark-gray legs and feet, reddish brown tails, and white eye-rings.

Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca

Lakeside Park, CA
2008-02-01

The sparrows were found feeding on the ground with golden-crowned sparrows (further right).

Other Emberizidae species:

Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii

Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia

California Towhee
Pipilo crissalis

Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus

Golden-Crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapilla

White-Crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys

Acorn Woodpecker• American Coot• American Crow• American Robin• American White Ibis• American White Pelican• Anhinga• Audubon's Warbler• Black Phoebe• Black-Capped Chickadee• Blue Jay• Boat-Tailed Grackle• Brewer's Blackbird• Brown Pelican• Bufflehead• Canada Goose• Chestnut-Backed Chickadee• Collared-Dove• Common Gallinule• Common Goldeneye• Common Grackle• Double-Crested Cormorant• Downy Woodpecker• European Starling• Fox Sparrow• Glossy Ibis• Golden-Crowned Sparrow• Graylag Goose• Great Blue Heron• Great Egret• Herring Gull• House Sparrow• Killdeer• Least Bittern• Least Sandpiper• Lesser Goldfinch• Limpkin• Lincoln's Sparrow• Mallard• Mourning Dove• Northern Cardinal• Northern Mockingbird• Oak Titmouse• Osprey• Palm Warbler• Pied-Billed Grebe• Purple Finch• Red-Bellied Woodpecker• Red-Breasted Nuthatch• Red-Winged Blackbird• Ring-Billed Gull• Ringed Plover• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet• Sanderling• Sandhill Crane• Semipalmated Sandpiper• Sharp-Shinned Hawk• Short-Tailed Hawk• Snowy Egret• Song Sparrow• Spotted Towhee• Steller's Jay• Tricolored Heron• Trumpeter Swan• Tufted Titmouse• Turkey Vulture• Western Grebe• Western Gull• Western Meadowlark• Western Scrub Jay• *Western Swamphen• White-Breasted Nuthatch• White-Crowned Sparrow• Wild Turkey• Willet• Wood Stork