The kit fox is the smallest canid that occurs in Oregon.

It has the typical canid conformation: the body is slim, the legs are long and thin, and the ears are large and erect. The tail is about 40 percent of the total length and is tipped with black, but has no dark mane on the dorsal surface. The feet and legs are whitish interiorly, light rusty-brown posteriorly. The dorsum is grizzled brownish-gray medially blending to grizzled gray then to light buff laterally and finally to white on the chest and venter. The head and posterior surface of the ears are slightly lighter than the dorsum; anteriorly, the ears contain long white hairs.

The activity of the kit fox is largely nocturnal, although adults with young commonly emerge from dens shortly before sunset and young may be active outside the den in late afternoon. Neither individuals nor families seem to have exclusive hunting territories, but certain dens seem to be the exclusive property of specific family groups.

In Oregon, the kit fox occurs in Deschutes and Malheur counties and have been found near Klamath Falls and in the southern half of Harney and Malheur counties.

The kit fox is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in Northern Basin and Range ecoregion.

Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW