April 2026 • Nebraskaland 27
As swift foxes frequently reside in burrows near roads,
where coyotes avoid, the risk of becoming roadkill is high.
The swift fox is not listed as an endangered species on the
federal level, but it is on Nebraska's endangered species list.
Once extirpated from Canada, the species has rebounded
after reintroduction efforts there.
Sam Wilson, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
furbearer and carnivore program manager, said the agency
has conducted surveys in the past and takes note of photos
from the public, roadkill data and staff observations.
In 2016, Lucia Corral Hurtado published results of the
state's most comprehensive survey of swift fox distribution
ever for the University of Nebraska. Using camera traps, she
and her conservation partners conducted four surveys on
200 public and private sites within western Nebraska over
two years. The cameras were placed on both private and
public lands west of a line running roughly diagonal between
Gordon and Beaver City.
"We found they are mostly present where we had been
detecting them in the past through track surveys and
opportunistic data collection — in the shortgrass prairies of
the Panhandle and there may be a few in the southwestern
portion of the state," Wilson said. "Distribution looks
somewhat stable over time."
Wilson encourages the public to contact him or a nearby
wildlife biologist if they see swift foxes.
To learn more about the swift fox and other wildlife, visit
OutdoorNebraska.gov.
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