Fox Sparrow
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 Red Fox Sparrow
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| Passerella iliaca (Merrem, 1786) |
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 Breeding ranges of the four Fox Sparrow groups
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The Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) is a large American sparrow. It is the only member of the genus Passerella, though some authors split the genus into four species (see below).
Adults are heavily spotted and streaked underneath. Plumage varies markedly from one group to another. More specific information regarding plumage is available in the accounts for the various taxa.
The Fox Sparrow's breeding habitat is wooded areas across northern Canada and the west coast of North America from Alaska to California. They nest either in a sheltered location on the ground or low in trees or shrubs.
These birds migrate south on the west coast and to the eastern United States.
These birds forage by scratching the ground, which makes them vulnerable to cats and other predators, though they are generally plentiful. They mainly eat seeds and insects, also some berries. Birds on the coast may also eat crustaceans.
[edit] Systematics
The review of Zink & Weckstein (2003) confirmed the 4 "subspecies groups"[1] of the Fox Sparrow that were outlined by the initial limited mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data (Zink 1994). These should probably be recognized as separate species, but this was deferred for further analysis of hybridization. Particularly the contact zones between the Slate-colored and Thick-billed Fox Sparrows which are only weakly distinct morphologically were of interest; the other groups were found to be distinct far earlier (Swarth 1920).
The combined data of mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and 3, cytochrome b, and the mitochondrial control region CR1 is unable to resolve the interrelationship of the subspecies group and of subspecies in these, but aids in confirming the distinctness of the Thick-billed group (Zink & Weckstein 2003). Biogeography indicates that the coastal populations were probably isolated an epoch of glaciation of the Rocky Mountains range, but is also not very helpful in resolving the remaining problems of within-group diversity and inter-group relationships.
- Red Fox Sparrow (iliaca group)
- Sooty Fox Sparrow (unalaschcensis group)
- Slate-colored Fox Sparrow (schistacea group)
- Thick-billed Fox Sparrow (megarhyncha group)
[edit] References
- Beadle, D. & Rising, J. D. (2002): Sparrows of the United States and Canada. Academic Press, San Diego. ISBN 0691117470
- BirdLife International (2004). Passerella iliaca. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Sibley, David Allen (2000): The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ISBN 0-679-45122-6
- Swarth H. W. (1920): Revision of the avian genus Passerella with special reference to the distribution and migration of the races in California. University of California Publications in Zoology 21: 75–224.
- Zink, R. M. (1994): The Geography of Mitochondrial DNA Variation, Population Structure, hybridization, and Species Limits in the Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca). Evolution 48(1): 96-111. DOI:10.2307/2410006 (HTML abstract, first page image)
- Zink, Robert M. & Kessen, A. E. (1999): Species Limits in the Fox Sparrow. Birding 31: 508-517.
- Zink, Robert M. & Weckstein, Jason D. (2003): Recent evolutionary history of the Fox Sparrows (Genus: Passerella). Auk 120(2): 522–527. [Article in English with Spanish abstract] DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2003)120[0522:REHOTF]2.0.CO;2 HTML fulltext (without images)
