Fox Sparrow
One of my favorite sparrows is the Fox Sparrow. I like its beefy size and the way it scratches for food. It is aptly named as it has a similar coloration to the gray fox. It is very easy to identify at first glance unlike some sparrows that demand further visual scrutiny.
In central Minnesota, the fox sparrows migrate through here in large numbers the last two weeks of October and return north in April. What I found out in writing this post is just how far north the Fox Sparrow breeds. The red form of the Fox Sparrow nests from Alaska to Newfoundland in upper Canada. It spends its winters in the mid to southern half of the US.
This fall I had a few waves of fox sparrows in my backyard. They are easy to spot in the woods with their feeding habitat of hopping forward and then quickly scratching both feet back to uncover food in the leaf litter. They can actually kick up a fair amount of leaves with this movement. Here is a video of their feeding dance under my bird feeder (along with juncos and a white-throated sparrow):
Yay, one of my favorites also! They pass through here in Maine, and we are always happy to see them. I was actually just looking through my fox sparrow photos and videos, reminiscing over their endless cuteness, as I was adding this picture to my gallery :) : https://fineartamerica.com/featured/fox-sparrow-sydney-michalski.html. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this video!