Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
Ah, at last some more sparrows are returning to northern Illinois. For some reason they feel later than normal but last week brought in White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos and now White-crowned and Fox Sparrows are back. No matter how much they hide, you gotta love the subtle beauty of sparrows.
Fox Sparrows are one of my favorites.-They really liven up the winter around here. We usually get the red variety-which variety is the one in the photo?
It is the red variety too. I am not aware of any other varieties in our area but sometimes we see ones that look a bit like the “Canadian Rocky Mountains” as in the Sibley guide.