Occurrence in Amherst & Connecticut Valley, Mass.
Common spring and fall migrant; seen in mid-March and again in October
March - April
October - November
Common transient, occasionally abundant. Casual in winter
February - January
Uncommon migrant from early March to mid-April and mid-October to late November
March - November
Coniferous forest undergrowth in summer, dense woodland in thickets, weedy pastures and brushy roadsides in winter.
The outer wall is made of twigs, strips of bark, shredded wood, rotting wood, broom moss, coarse dry grass, moss, and lichens. The inner cup is often lined with fine grass, rootlets, hair from sheep, cows, or dogs, feathers, moss, and sometimes fishing line.
19th-20th Century Field Notes
FOX - COLORED SPARROW . Rich rust red ; beneath , white , spotted on breast with rusty . Length , 7 inches . Common spring and fall migrant . Earliest arrival , March 15th ; seen again in October . Feeds on seeds . Not injurious . Have never heard it make any sound .
—H.L. Clark, 1887
21st Century Conservation Notes
Some counts of migrants suggest that the species has decreased in recent decades, at least in the East.*