Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
Synopsis: Breeds in montane shrubland in western Oregon, and also in deciduous riparian areas in eastern Oregon. Two forms, with different geographic distributions, are recognizable. A thick-billed form breeds above 1500 feet in the Cascades, in the Siskiyous, and eastward at higher elevations to the Warner Valley (Lake County) and the Steens Mountain. A slaty-backed form, with thinner bill, breeds in riparian and aspen stands in the Wallowa and Blue Mountains, as well as in the Oregon Canyon Mountains (Malheur County). The records from Harney, Malheur, and southern Lake Counties are the most notable.

Habitat Associations:
strongest
Siskiyou Mtns Shrubland on Serpentine Bedrock (19022 acres)
Grassland & Fir-Ponderosa Interspersed (222091 acres)
strong
Conifer Woodland on Serpentine Bedrock (3826 acres)
some
True Fir-Hemlock Montane Forest (1467280 acres)
Ponderosa Pine-dominant Mixed Conifer Forest (367180 acres)
Northeast Mixed Conifer Forest (1210285 acres)
Jeffery Pine Forest/Woodland (25976 acres)
Douglas Fir-White Fir/Tanoak-Madrone Mixed Forest (794734 acres)
Ponderosa Pine Forest/Woodland (2203255 acres)
Ponderosa-Lodgepole Pine on Pumice (1307961 acres)
Aspen Groves (21350 acres)
Siskiyou Mtns Mixed Deciduous Forest (101321 acres)
Manzanita-dominant Shrubland (7036 acres)
Mountain Mahogany Shrubland (1378 acres)
Subalpine Grassland (87386 acres)
Edges of Recently Cutover/Burnt Forest (901035 acres)
Lake/Pond Shoreline & Islands (247874 acres)
lesser
Mountain Hemlock Montane Forest (241438 acres)
Lodgepole Pine Forest/Woodland (196605 acres)
Subalpine Fir-Lodgepole Pine Montane Conifer (459943 acres)

Relative Detectability: Easy to detect by sight and song, but fairly difficult to confirm breeding.

Challenge: Determine if this species breeds more widely than shown in the Ochoco and Blue Mountains, as well as in southern Douglas and eastern Curry Counties. Determine distribution of various races of this species.