CreatureData

Fox sparrow

Passerella iliaca (Merrem, 1786)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca) is a species in the family Passerellidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 33.3 g to 33.8 g and live up to 10 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca)
Photo: USFWS Midwest Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the fox sparrow

Weight
33.3 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
10 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
10.3 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
13 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
4src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.25src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the fox sparrow live?

Not recorded

What is the fox sparrow?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca) is a large New World sparrow. It is the only member of the genus Passerella, although some authors split the species into four (see below).

From the Wikipedia article “Fox sparrow” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fox_sparrow&oldid=1380680815), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the fox sparrow sound like?

Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the fox sparrow endangered?

The fox sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the fox sparrow classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyPasserellidae
  6. genusPasserella
  7. SpeciesPasserella iliaca (Merrem, 1786)

Synonyms Fringilla ferruginea, Fringilla rufa, Zonotrichia iliaca

Other names and names in other languages (60)
  • Fox-coloured sparrowEnglish
  • Red fox sparrowEnglish
  • Red fox sparrowEnglish
  • Red fox sparrowEnglish
  • Red fox-sparrowEnglish
  • Slate-colored fox sparrowEnglish
  • Slate-colored fox-sparrowEnglish
  • Slate-coloured fox sparrowEnglish
  • Slate-coloured fox-sparrowEnglish
  • Sooty fox sparrowEnglish
  • Sooty fox-sparrowEnglish
  • Thick-billed fox sparrowEnglish
  • Thick-billed fox-sparrowEnglish
  • Brean gellrousBreton
  • sit guineuer rogencCatalan
  • strnadec liščíCzech
  • strnadec kaštanovýCzech
  • bras mawrWelsh
  • RævespurvDanish
  • FuchsammerGerman
  • rufavosta pasereloEsperanto
  • Chingolo zorrunoSpanish
  • Gorrión rascadorSpanish
  • Sabanero RascadorSpanish
  • rebassidrikEstonian
  • kettusirkkuFinnish
  • Reyðríputur spurvurFaroese
  • bruant fauveFrench
  • Bruantin fauveFrench
  • Gealbhan sionnaighIrish
  • גבתונית הומת־זנבHebrew
  • גיבתונית חומת-זנבHebrew
  • riđi strnadarCroatian
  • vörhenyes verébsármányHungarian
  • TófutittlingurIcelandic
  • Passerella variabileItalian
  • ゴマフスズメJapanese
  • margagurklė startaLithuanian
  • Rusvoji zonotrichijaLithuanian
  • rudastes zvirbulisLatvian
  • RoodstaartgorsDutch
  • Rode RoodstaartgorsDutch
  • revespurvNorwegian
  • pasówka rudosternaPolish
  • tico-tico-raposinoPortuguese
  • Tico-tico-raposino-vermelhoPortuguese
  • Лисья овсянкаRussian
  • Пестрогрудая овсянкаRussian
  • RiebancihciNorthern Sami
  • strnádlik gaštanovýSlovak
  • lisičji vrabonadSlovenian
  • Lisičji strnadSerbian
  • RävsparvSwedish
  • rosträvsparvSwedish
  • Tilki Renkli SerçeTurkish
  • Kızıl kuyruklu çinteTurkish
  • вівсянка рябогрудаUkrainian
  • пасовник рябогрудийUkrainian
  • 狐色帶鵐Chinese
  • 狐色雀鹀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the fox sparrow

Other species in the same genus Passerella.

LC, Least Concern

Sooty fox sparrow

Passerella unalaschcensis

PasserellidaeNo free photo yet

CompareFox sparrow vs Sooty fox sparrowFox sparrow vs Thick-billed fox sparrowFox sparrow vs Slate-colored fox sparrow

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the fox sparrow?

An adult fox sparrow weighs 33.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the fox sparrow endangered?

The fox sparrow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the fox sparrow live?

The fox sparrow has a recorded lifespan of 10 years.

What kind of animal is the fox sparrow?

The fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca) belongs to the family Passerellidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/fox-sparrow

MLA

“Fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/fox-sparrow.

BibTeX
@misc{fox_sparrow_2026,
  title = {Fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/fox-sparrow},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}