Sparrows & Finches

Fox Sparrow

Passerella iliaca

A large, robust sparrow with rich rufous-brown streaking and a distinctive double scratch feeding motion in leaf litter. The Sooty subspecies common in coastal Alaska is particularly dark.

Where to look

Dense alder and willow thickets, especially at forest edges and brushy roadsides around Kodiak Island.

Habitat

Dense shrubbery and thickets near water.

Diet

Seeds, berries, and invertebrates.

Natural history note

Fox Sparrows vigorously scratch backward with both feet simultaneously to expose seeds and invertebrates in leaf litter—a distinctive foraging behavior.