How to identify it
- A dog-like animal with a long, pointed muzzle, large upright pointed ears, fairly long legs and a bushy tail.[1]
- The typical coat is light orange-red with black legs, paler underfur and a white tip on the tail; silver and cross foxes are color phases of the same species.[1]
- Adults weigh about 8 to 15 pounds and measure roughly 34 to 62 inches from nose to tail tip, with males about 2 pounds heavier.[1]
- Foxes bark, scream, howl, yap and growl; in winter, males often give a yelling territorial bark.[1]
- Tracks are hard to tell from a dog's, but wild animal trails tend to run straight while pets meander.[1]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Gray fox | Salt-and-pepper gray with rusty-yellow sides of the neck, legs and feet, and a black-tipped tail; it prefers dense cover and can climb trees.[1][2] |
| Coyote | Much larger, roughly 22 to 45 pounds or more, with a black-tipped tail rather than the red fox's white tip.[6][1] |
Where it lives
Red foxes live throughout most of North America except southern California, Arizona, central Texas and a few isolated areas, and have breeding populations in many cities.[1][2]
Biology and life cycle
Red foxes mate from mid-January to February, and after about 51 to 53 days a litter of usually 4 to 9 pups is born in spring.[2][5]
They dig dens or take over old woodchuck and badger burrows, often reusing the same den for generations; dens may sit near farm buildings or under structures.[2][3]
Pups first leave the den about a month after birth and are learning to hunt by about 3 months old.[5]
Young foxes disperse in fall to find their own territories, sometimes traveling more than 200 miles.[2]
Foxes are most active at dawn and dusk but can be out at any hour, and they stay active all year.[2][5]
They eat rodents, rabbits, squirrels, birds, eggs, insects, fruit and carrion, and sometimes cache extra food by burying it.[2][5]
Damage and signs
- Foxes kill poultry, game birds, young lambs and piglets, and occasionally small pets; losses can be heavy in small-farm flocks.[3][2]
- Damage peaks in spring, when adults are feeding pups, and prey is often carried back to the den, so losses may go unnoticed.[3]
- Dens under decks or sheds don't hurt the structure much but can bring odors and leftover prey remains.[3]
- Foxes may dig up turf, including golf courses, while hunting grubs or rodents.[3]
- Coyotes compete with and kill foxes, and red fox numbers have dropped where coyotes have spread.[1]
Health risk
Healthy foxes generally aren't dangerous to people, but rabid foxes may attack. Foxes also carry canine distemper, which can spread to dogs, and red foxes often get mange, which causes patchy fur loss.[3]
Control
Prevention
Feed pets indoors, keep them leashed, and don't leave pet food or water outside.[5][4]
Keep them out
Close off crawl spaces under decks, porches and outbuildings so foxes can't den there, and cover window wells deeper than 12 inches.[4][5]
Keep chickens and rabbits in enclosures secured above and below; shut poultry houses at night and bury coop fencing with a wire apron that extends at least 12 inches outward.[5][4]
A woven-wire fence 5 feet tall with openings 3 inches or smaller, or a 3-wire electric fence at 6, 12 and 18 inches, can keep red foxes out of livestock areas.[4]
Sanitation
Use garbage cans with tight lids, secure compost, control rodents around sheds and garages, and remove livestock carcasses promptly.[4][5]
Traps and physical control
Noise makers, flashing lights and dogs can reduce fox activity, but foxes get used to them, so expect only temporary relief.[4]
When to call a professional
Foxes are protected furbearers or game animals in most states; most states allow taking foxes to protect property, but trapping takes real skill and rules on traps vary, so check state regulations first.[1][4][5]
Seeing a fox in daylight
Fox activity varies; they may be active by night or day, and sightings at dusk and dawn are common.[5]
Foxes also move around in the daytime, especially on dark, overcast days, and hunt more in spring when pups are born.[2]
What doesn't work well
Dog or coyote urine has been used as a fox repellent, but its long-term effect is questionable.[4]
Inexperienced trappers can teach foxes to avoid traps, making them much harder to catch.[4]
Common questions
- Is a fox in my yard dangerous?
- Healthy foxes generally aren't a danger to people, and attacks on small dogs are infrequent in towns. Rabid foxes may attack, though, so keep your distance from any fox and keep pets leashed.[3][5]
- How do I stop a fox from denning under my deck?
- Close off the crawl space under decks, porches and sheds before spring denning season, and remove food sources such as pet food, garbage and rodents.[4][5][2]
- How do I protect my chickens from foxes?
- House them in a coop closed every night, with fencing buried and aproned at the base and netting overhead, since some foxes climb fences.[4][5]
Sources
- Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, “Foxes: Identification.” icwdm.org/species/carnivores/foxes/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, “Fox Biology.” icwdm.org/species/carnivores/foxes/fox-biology/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, “Fox Damage Identification.” icwdm.org/species/carnivores/foxes/fox-damage-identification/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, “Fox Damage Prevention and Control Methods.” icwdm.org/species/carnivores/foxes/fox-damage-prevention-and-control-methods/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), “Learn about foxes.” www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-foxes (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, “Coyotes: Identification.” icwdm.org/species/carnivores/coyotes/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- iNaturalist, “Vulpes vulpes taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42069 (accessed 2026-10-06)