YUKON FOX SPARROW 1417 



transliterates the song as "a trilled Ee-chee weer-r-r-a-chr-r-r-ree. 

 The call note is a sharp tchip." John Q. Hines (1963) comments: 

 "Fledglings were observed in early July when males were still singing, 

 although at a reduced level." 



Gabrielson and Lincoln (1959) continue: 



In their natural habitat, Fox Sparrows are seldom seen in long flights, usually 

 ducking from one brush patch to another when disturbed and flying close to the 

 ground vegetation. They fly with a nervous, jerky, fliting [sic] of the tail although 

 this is not as marked as it is among the Song Sparrows. 



Since it is a bird of the thickets, it is not surprising to find that such animal food 

 as it takes consists of millipeds, beetles, and other insects found in such habitat. 

 Otherwise its food consists largely of weed seeds and fruits. Although little is 

 known about its feeding habits in Alaska, it can be expected that the usual berries 

 and seeds of plants found in and close to the alder and willow thickets will furnish 

 a large part of the food. 



Grinnell and Miller (1944) state that on its wintering ground in 

 California this race inhabits "Chaparral and tangles of low vegeta- 

 tion along stream courses; not known to differ importantly from 

 habitat of other winter-visitant Fox Sparrows in the State." 



Distribution 



Range. — Northwestern Alaksa, northern Yukon, Mackenzie and 

 northern Manitoba south to southern Texas, the Gulf coast, and 

 northern Georgia. 



Breeding range. — The Yukon fox sparrow breeds from northwestern 

 and central northern Alaska (Utukok, Colville, and Porcupine rivers), 

 northern Yukon (Old Crow, La Pierre House), northwestern and 

 central eastern Mackenzie (Mackenzie Delta, Artillery Lake), and 

 northern Manitoba (Churchill) south to northern British Columbia 

 (Atlin, Tupper Creek), central Alberta (Red Deer), central Sas- 

 katchewan (Nipawin), and southern Manitoba (Duck Mountain). 



Winter range. — Winters chiefly east of the Great Plains from 

 eastern Kansas (Manhattan; Douglas County) and southern Iowa 

 (Polk County) south to southern Texas (Laredo, San Antonio, Cove), 

 Louisiana (Natchitoches, New Orleans), Mississippi (Gulf port, 

 Biloxi), Alabama (Woodville), and northern Georgia (Roswell, 

 Athens); rarely east to Virginia (Mt. Vernon, Alexandria), and west 

 to Washington (Renton, Whitman County), central and southern 

 California (San Geronimo, Pasadena), southern Arizona (Huachuca 

 Mountains), and Colorado (Denver). 



Casual records.— Casual on the Arctic coast of Alaska (Wain- 

 wright, Barrow area). 



Egg dates. — Alaska: 40 records, May 3 to July 11; 22 records, 

 May 27 to June 11. 



Mackenzie: 10 records, June 1 to June 22. 



646-737 — 68 — pt. 3 12 



