The Fox Sparrow is a big, richly colored sparrow named for the foxy rust-red that washes its plumage, especially the tail and the heavy streaks and triangular spots down its white breast, set off by a grayish face. One of the largest sparrows in the state, it is a striking bird when it emerges from cover. It is also unmistakable in its foraging: it scratches vigorously in leaf litter with a distinctive two-footed backward hop-and-kick, flinging debris aside to expose seeds and insects.
Fox Sparrows breed far to the north and pass through Michigan as migrants in early spring and late fall, when they turn up in brushy thickets, woodland edges, and beneath backyard feeders, often with juncos and other sparrows. Their loud, sweet, richly whistled song is a treat when a bird pauses to sing during migration. A few linger into winter in the southern part of the state where cover and food persist.
Feeds on seeds, insects, and berries found on the ground, using an energetic double-footed backward scratch to uncover food in leaf litter. In migration and winter it takes weed and grass seeds and readily forages beneath feeders for fallen seed.
It is a large sparrow washed in rich foxy-red, with heavy rusty streaks and spots on a white breast and a grayish face. Its size and warm rufous tones set it apart from smaller, plainer sparrows.
Fox Sparrows forage with a distinctive two-footed backward hop, kicking leaf litter aside to expose seeds and insects. The loud rustling often reveals a bird hidden in dense cover.
Mainly as a migrant in early spring (March–April) and late fall (October–November), often at feeders and brushy edges. A few remain through winter in the south of the state.
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