Learning Center » Predators » Red Fox

General Information
The red fox is a quick, skillful hunter, feeding on a wide variety of foods. Mice are often eaten, especially during the winter months and cottontail rabbits are also an important part of their diet. They remain active throughout the year but are primarily nocturnal, only occasionally coming out during the daylight hours. Red foxes seem to prefer somewhat open habitats and are not creatures of dense forests. They are found mostly in areas with interspersed croplands, old fields, and woodlots, especially along the edges formed by these habitats.

Description
The red fox resembles a bushy-tailed, medium sized dog. The usual coloration is a bright rusty-red with black feet and legs and and a whitish belly. A good identifying feature is the long tail which is tipped with white. Other color varieties of the red fox also occur including a black, a silver, and a cross phase in which a dark area crosses over the shoulders and down the middle of the back. Red foxes measure in total length from about 39 to 41 inches and weigh between 10 and 15 pounds.

Range
Red foxes are found throughout much of North America. They occur throughout most of the Carolina mountains and Piedmont but are rare to absent in the eastern coastal plain. The red fox is one of two fox species found in the southern mountains. The other, the gray fox, is sometimes mistaken for the red fox, but is somewhat different in appearance and frequents slightly different habitats.

Methods of Kill
The fox, whether it's a gray or red, tends to strike fear into the hearts of chicken owners. The fox is prone to hunt 2 hours after sundown and 2 hours before sunup. Foxes take their prey some distances (miles even) from the sight of the kill. Usually the only sign of a fox raid is feathers and squalling hens. Although most active at night, they are also seen by day. They are known for their raids on poultry, particularly during the spring when there is a need to provide food for growing litters. Red foxes do not chew their food, but tend to swallow whole. This accounts for the abundance of fur and crushed food bones found in fox droppings. They commonly kill more food that they eat at one time, and bury the extra food in caches.