No.013 · Mammals · Common
Red fox
Vulpes vulpes
Britain's wild dog: a russet coat, white-tipped brush and sharp amber eyes. Shy in the countryside, bolder in town, where it patrols gardens and railway banks after dark.
When to see a red fox
All year, mostly at dawn, dusk and night.
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Time of day
- Dawn
- Day
- Dusk
- Night
Where to see a red fox in the UK
- The New Forest. Hunts the heath edge and woodland rides at dusk, taking rabbits and voles.
- The Norfolk Broads. Works the marsh banks and Horsey dunes at dusk.
Red fox facts at a glance
- Best time
- Night, all year; dawn and dusk are best. Cubs play above ground at dusk in May–July.
- Where in the game
- Millbrook (garden, urban, park, farmland, churchyard and canal), the New Forest (ancient woodland, heath, lawn and mire) and the Norfolk Broads (grazing marsh, fen, dunes, carr and reedbed)
- Size
- Head and body about 62–72 cm, tail about 40 cm
- Weight
- 5–7 kg; males heavier
- Lifespan
- Usually 1–3 years in the wild; the oldest confirmed wild fox was 12
- Population
- About 357,000 in Britain (Mammal Society, 2018; PTES)
- Status
- Least Concern in Britain (Mammal Society Red List 2020); Near Threatened in Scotland
Diet
Omnivore: rodents, rabbits, earthworms, insects, birds, fruit and scraps; caches spare food.
Habitat
Farmland, woods, dunes, marshes and towns; urban foxes den under sheds and in railway banks.
Breeding
Cubs (usually 4–5) are born from March to May in an earth, with births peaking in mid-March; they emerge at 4–5 weeks and become independent by autumn.
Field signs
- Twisted, tapering droppings, often on a stone or tussock, with a strong musky smell
- Diamond-shaped, four-toed tracks in a straight line, with claw marks
- Piercing screams in December–February, from vixens calling for mates
Did you know?
- A vixen's scream in midwinter is the mating call; it is often mistaken for someone in distress.
- A Czech study (2011) found foxes tend to pounce on mice towards the north-east, which the researchers linked to the Earth's magnetic field.
- The fox has vertical, cat-like pupils, unusual in dogs, that help it see well in dim light.
Moments worth waiting for
- Cubs at play
Three cubs tumble out of the earth and pounce on each other's tails. - Mousing leap
A fox stands stock-still, ears swivelling, then springs high and pounces headfirst into the grass.
Photo tip
Watch a den or a garden from a car or hide at dusk with a long lens, in the low warm light. Use a high ISO rather than a flash, which frightens foxes.
Be a good naturalist
Do not feed foxes to bring them close; hand-fed foxes lose caution and can be harmed. Never approach an occupied den; keep to 50 m or more.
The law
No close season, but protected from cruelty under the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996; hunting with dogs is illegal under the Hunting Act 2004 (England and Wales) and the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023.
