Around our place they only rummage around in the leaves on the ground; I've never seen one sitting on a perch, so now I'll have to be on the lookout for a toe-sighting!!
Good point about the claws. The toes themselves also seem long to me, but I would need to compare with other species. Fox Sparrows are known for towhee-like or two-footed scratching while searching for food, so I'm guessing these long toes/claws might be a characteristic of this species (but I'll admit I haven't paid much attention to it!). Perhaps someone who has a lot of experience looking at Fox Sparrows, either in the field or in a museum, would be able to comment?
4 comments:
All the better to scratch in the leaf litter!
Great capture!
Around our place they only rummage around in the leaves on the ground; I've never seen one sitting on a perch, so now I'll have to be on the lookout for a toe-sighting!!
When I look closely I see sort of normal looking toes with super long claws. Are all fox sparrows like that, I wonder?
Hi, Linda,
Good point about the claws. The toes themselves also seem long to me, but I would need to compare with other species. Fox Sparrows are known for towhee-like or two-footed scratching while searching for food, so I'm guessing these long toes/claws might be a characteristic of this species (but I'll admit I haven't paid much attention to it!). Perhaps someone who has a lot of experience looking at Fox Sparrows, either in the field or in a museum, would be able to comment?
Jackie
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