More info for the terms:
forest,
hardwood,
shrubCommon gray foxes are most closely associated with deciduous forest,
particularly where it is in contact with disturbed or brushy habitat
[
9,
23,
35]. They are usually found near surface water [
29]. Preferred
habitat includes shrublands and brushy woodlands on hilly or rough
terrain. In areas where common gray foxes and red foxes occur together, common gray
foxes prefer mixed woods with dense underbrush. In the absence of red
foxes, common gray foxes prefer other habitats [
35].
In New England common gray foxes are associated with dense northern hardwood or
mixed forests, thickets, and swamps. Preferred habitat includes a
mixture of fields and woods [
7]. In Wisconsin common gray foxes were most
abundant near brush-covered bluffs where woods and farmland were well
interspersed [
28]. From Virginia to southern Georgia optimal common gray fox
habitat consists of woodland-farmland edge; post oak woodlands are also
good common gray fox habitat [
9]. In southern Georgia common gray foxes are most
abundant in mixed woods and cultivated areas, less abundant in pine
savanna, and least common in mixed woods with dense underbrush [
35]. On
the Coastal Plain most common gray fox captures occurred in tall
weed-broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus)-dominated habitats and
cultivated areas. There were relatively few captures on forested sites;
this difference from common gray fox preferences in the majority of its range
was attributed to the absence of red foxes [
24].
In the western states common gray fox habitats include rocky hillsides,
mountainsides, and washes [
35]. In Oregon common gray foxes prefer mixed
hardwood and mixed conifer-hardwood habitats; they are present in
riparian hardwood, headland prairie, headland shrub, and tanoak
(Lithocarpus densiflorus) habitats [
23]. In the Central Valley of
California, one common gray fox spent most of its time in old fields and
human-use areas, one spent most of its time in agricultural areas, and
two spent most of their time in riparian areas. None of the foxes used
areas of open dirt [
11]. In California common gray foxes were most abundant
from 3,800 to 5,000 feet (1,150-1,525 m) elevation [
15]. In
northwestern California Douglas-fir forests, common gray foxes were present in
similar abundances in all forest seres, but there were slightly fewer
common gray foxes in mature timber [
39].
Home Range: Common gray foxes tracked from May through August, 1980 and
January through August, 1981, had a monthly average home range of 740
acres (299 ha), and an average composite home range of 1,700 acres (676
ha). Some individuals occupied the same general area for extended
periods, but home ranges tended to shift from month to month. Only a
fraction of the home range is used on a given night [
18]. The composite
home ranges of four radio-tracked common gray foxes varied from 262 to 425
acres (106-172 ha). Common gray foxes are apparently solitary in the
nonbreeding seasons [
17]. In Wisconsin common gray fox home ranges vary from
0.24 to 1.2 miles (0.40-2 km) in diameter [
32]. Lord [
22] estimated
common gray fox home range diameter of 1.9 miles (3.2 km). Trapp [
34] reported
an annual home range average of 0.2 square mile (0.52 sq km).
Territoriality: Common gray fox territoriality is not well defined.
Territories are marked with urine and feces, but in many areas home
ranges overlap considerably. Family aggregates are formed so that
individual territories overlap; family aggregates do not overlap [
18].