Sooty Fox Sparrow
Encyclopedia
The Sooty Fox Sparrow contains the darkest-colored taxa in the genus
Passerella. It is currently classified as a "subspecies group"
within the Fox Sparrow
pending wider-spread acceptance of species status. It has long been suspected to be a separate evolution
ary lineage due to morphological
distinctness (Swarth 1920), and this is confirmed by analysis of mtDNA sequence
and haplotype
data (Zink 1994, Zink & Kessen 1999, Zink & Weckstein 2003). This group appears to be most closely related to the Thick-billed
and/or Slate-colored Fox Sparrow
s (Zink 1996, Zink & Weckstein 2003).
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Passerella. It is currently classified as a "subspecies group"
within the Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
The Fox Sparrow is a large American sparrow. It is the only member of the genus Passerella, although some authors split the genus into four species .-Taxonomy:...
pending wider-spread acceptance of species status. It has long been suspected to be a separate evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary lineage due to morphological
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
distinctness (Swarth 1920), and this is confirmed by analysis of mtDNA sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
and haplotype
Haplotype
A haplotype in genetics is a combination of alleles at adjacent locations on the chromosome that are transmitted together...
data (Zink 1994, Zink & Kessen 1999, Zink & Weckstein 2003). This group appears to be most closely related to the Thick-billed
Thick-billed Fox Sparrow
The Thick-billed Fox Sparrow group comprises the peculiarly large-billed Sierra Nevadan taxa in the genus Passerella...
and/or Slate-colored Fox Sparrow
Slate-colored Fox Sparrow
The Slate-colored Fox Sparrow group comprises the Rocky Mountain taxa in the genus Passerella. It is currently classified as a "subspecies group"...
s (Zink 1996, Zink & Weckstein 2003).
Description
The Sooty Fox Sparrow complex varies clinally in intensity of color. The upperparts and head are a variable shade of brown with streaks on the underparts of the same color. The northernmost birds are a sandy brown while southernmost birds are a dark coffee-like color. Sooties prefer to breed in willows and alders at the edge of wet habitats. Beadle & Rising (2003) describe their call note as a sharp zitt or thik, while Sibley (2000) says it is a loud smack like that of Red Fox SparrowRed Fox Sparrow
Red Fox Sparrow is the collective name for the most brightly colored taxa in the American sparrow genus Passerella, the Passerella iliaca iliaca group.-Taxonomy:...
.
Subspecies
Six subspecies are usually recognized in the Sooty Fox Sparrow complex, ranging from unalaschensis in the Aleutians to fuliginosa in extreme northwestern Washington:- unalaschcensis (Gmelin, 1789):
- Breeds from Unalaska IslandUnalaska IslandUnalaska is an island in the Fox Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state of Alaska, at . The island has a land area of . The city of Unalaska, Alaska, covers part of the island and all of neighboring Amaknak Island where the Port of Dutch Harbor is located...
(Aleutian Islands) to the ShumaginShumagin IslandsThe Shumagin Islands are a group of 20 islands in the Aleutians East Borough south of the mainland of Alaska, USA, at54°54'–55°20' North 159°15'–160°45' West. The largest islands are Unga Island, Popof Island, Korovin Island, and Nagai Island. Other islands include Andronica, Big Koniuji, Little...
and Semidi IslandsSemidi IslandsThe Semidi Islands are a group of islands of the state of Alaska, USA, lying offshore in the Gulf of Alaska. The islands are part of Kodiak Island Borough and are located southwest of Kodiak Island, about half way between the Alaska Peninsula mainland and Chirikof Island. The largest islands of the...
and adjacent Alaska PeninsulaAlaska PeninsulaThe Alaska Peninsula is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The peninsula separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea....
. Winter range from S British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to southernmost CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, rarely even further south.(Weckstein et al. 2002) - There are two distinct groups known from the winter range: brownish ash-grey birds with alonger and more pointed bill, and darker lead-grey birds with thicker, blunter bills; the taxonomic significane of this is unknown (Weckstein et al. 2002). Seems to intergrade with sinuosa and insularis where their ranges meet. (Swarth 1920)
- townsendi (AudubonJohn James AudubonJohn James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats...
, 1838):
- Breeds along the Pacific coast from Glacier BayGlacier BayGlacier Bay Basin in southeastern Alaska, United States, encompasses the Glacier Bay and surrounding mountains and glaciers, which was first proclaimed a U.S. National Monument on February 25, 1925 and which was later, on Dec...
to Queen Charlotte IslandsQueen Charlotte IslandsHaida Gwaii , formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Haida Gwaii consists of two main islands: Graham Island in the north, and Moresby Island in the south, along with approximately 150 smaller islands with a total landmass of...
. Winter range south of breeding range, to C California.(Weckstein et al. 2002) - Much darker and more rufous than unalaschcensis, with conspicuously larger and more plentiful breast spots similar to fuliginosa (Swarth 1920).
- fuliginosa Ridgway, 1899:
- Breeds on the mainland S from Stikine RiverStikine RiverThe Stikine River is a river, historically also the Stickeen River, approximately 610 km long, in northwestern British Columbia in Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States...
to NW Washington. Winter range from SW British Columbia south to coastal C California.(Weckstein et al. 2002) - Darker and sootier than townsendi, with largest and most plentiful breast spots (Weckstein et al. 2002).
- annectens Ridgway, 1900:
- Breeds along the Pacific coast from N Yakutat BayYakutat BayYakutat Bay is a 29-km-wide bay in the U.S. state of Alaska, extending southwest from Disenchantment Bay to the Gulf of Alaska. "Yakutat" is a Tlingit name reported as "Jacootat" and "Yacootat" by Yuri Lisianski in 1805....
to Cross SoundCross SoundCross Sound is a passage in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska, located between Chichagof Island to its south and the mainland to its north...
. Winter range coastal C California.(Weckstein et al. 2002) - Intermediate between sinuosa and townsendi (Swarth 1920). Morphology and range suggest its validity should be checked.
- insularis Ridgway, 1900:
- Breeding limited to Kodiak IslandKodiak IslandKodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
. In winter, found along Pacific coast southwards to southernmost California.(Weckstein et al. 2002) - Brighter and more uniformly ruddy above, with strong and rich brown breast spots; under tail-coverts tinged buff (Weckstein et al. 2002).
- sinuosa GrinnellJoseph GrinnellJoseph Grinnell was a field biologist and zoologist. He made extensive studies of the fauna of California, and is credited with introducing a method of recording precise field observations known as the Grinnell System...
, 1910:
- Breeds around Prince William SoundPrince William SoundPrince William Sound is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System...
and Kenai PeninsulaKenai PeninsulaThe Kenai Peninsula is a large peninsula jutting from the southern coast of Alaska in the United States. The name Kenai is probably derived from Kenayskaya, the Russian name for Cook Inlet, which borders the peninsula to the west.-Geography:...
and on Middleton Island. In winter, south along Pacific slope of S California.(Weckstein et al. 2002) - Intermediate between unalaschcensis and insularis, but bill markedly more slender than in either (Weckstein et al. 2002).
- chilcatensis Webster, 1983:
- The "non-typical fuliginosa" of Swarth (1920), breeding between the Chilkat RiverChilkat RiverThe Chilkat River is a river in British Columbia and southeastern Alaska that flows southward from the Coast Range to the Chilkat Inlet and ultimately Lynn Canal. It is about long. It begins at Chilkat Glacier, in Alaska, flows west and south in British Columbia for , enters Alaska and continues...
area to Tewart and surroundings (British Columbia), and wintering along the coast, mainly between OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and the San Francisco BaySan Francisco BaySan Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
region (Weckstein et al. 2002). - Much like fuliginosa, but duller and shorter-tailed. Not usually accepted as distinct by recent reviewers (e.g. Zink 1994, Rising & Beadle 1996, Zink & Kessen 1999), although the presence of similarly distinct birds in unalaschcensis suggests the matter warrants more research.