Episode Number
80
Episode Show Notes / Description
Fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca).
A rusty winter sparrow with a hearty “smack” call.
Do you want to learn more bird songs, frog calls, and insect noises? Join Voice of the Wild every Friday to explore a new wild voice. We’re available on most podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
- Subscription links Here
- Subscribe to the Newsletter
- Listen online on our Homepage
The following Cornell Lab | Macaulay Library recordings were used in this episode:
- Fox sparrow song by William W. H. Gunn (ML509629)
- Fox sparrow call by Wil Hershberger (ML509632)
- Fox sparrow "smack" call by William W. H. Gunn (ML509631)
Sources and more:
- https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/fox_sparrow
- https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/fox-sparrow
- Beadle D, Rising Jim. 2002. Sparrows of the United States and Canada : the photographic guide. San Diego: Natural World.
- Dobson, C., Kassenbaum, D., Oehmke, D., & Misewicz, M. (2023). Field guide to hotspots and birds in Illinois. Scissortail LLC.
- Godfrey, M. A., & Kaufman, Kenn. (Directors). (2004). National Audubon Society videoguide to the birds of North America [Video recording]. In Audubon videoguide to 505 birds of North America DVD I & DVD II (Fullscreen.). Godfrey-Stadin Productions.
- Peterson, R. T., & Peterson, V. M. (1980). A field guide to the birds: A completely new guide to all the birds of eastern and central North America (Fourth edition, completely revised and enlarged.). Houghton Mifflin Company.
- Sibley, D. (2016). Sibley birds East: Field guide to birds of eastern North America (2nd ed.). Alfred A. Knopf.
- Walton, R. K., & Lawson, R. W. (1989). Birding by Ear: Eastern/Central [Compact Disc]. On Eastern/Central birding by ear. Houghton Mifflin Co.
Transcript
This is Brodie with Illinois Extension and I’m here with a new “voice of the wild”
This rust-red winter visitor likes wet woods and tangled undergrowth, but they won’t turn their beak up at the scattered seeds beneath a bird feeder, where they might scratch energetically with both feet to reveal hidden morsels to eat. Look for the rich gray that underlays the red streaks on their head and listen for their hearty and distinctive alarm call, a “smack.” This is the fox sparrow.
If you do much traveling in the west its worth finding a fox sparrow. They’re variable across their range and were once thought to be four distinct species. The thick-billed fox sparrow can be found in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the sooty subspecies just along the pacific coast, and the slate-colored variant throughout the rest of the west. Lucky for those of us in the Midwest and east, the red subspecies, is the showiest. Here’s the fox sparrow again.
Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW
This rust-red winter visitor likes wet woods and tangled undergrowth, but they won’t turn their beak up at the scattered seeds beneath a bird feeder, where they might scratch energetically with both feet to reveal hidden morsels to eat. Look for the rich gray that underlays the red streaks on their head and listen for their hearty and distinctive alarm call, a “smack.” This is the fox sparrow.
If you do much traveling in the west its worth finding a fox sparrow. They’re variable across their range and were once thought to be four distinct species. The thick-billed fox sparrow can be found in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the sooty subspecies just along the pacific coast, and the slate-colored variant throughout the rest of the west. Lucky for those of us in the Midwest and east, the red subspecies, is the showiest. Here’s the fox sparrow again.
Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW