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Dark-eyed Junco | |
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 Slate colored (eastern) Junco |
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About 6 inches long, all juncos have pale pink colored bills, a whitish belly, white outer tail feathers and, as the name implies, dark eyes. It was once thought that there were four species of dark-eyed juncos. We now know that there is one species with five ariations or races, evident in the coloration of the males. The wide-spread slate colored junco is most common in the northeast. The Oregon or western junco has a black head and neck with a brown back and sides. There is a pink - sided junco found in the Rockies. It has a gray head and neck. In the southern Rockies the juncos are mostly gray with brown backs. And finally, there is a “white winged” junco found in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming that is pale gray above, with two white wing bars.
The female of all varieties is mostly brown. Juveniles are striped, similar to house sparrows.
Juncos breed in Canada and the Northern United States, migrating to more southern areas in the winter. Depending on the season, they can be found throughout both countries. They are often called snowbirds, as they seem to arrive with the first snowfall. They travel in flocks, so the sudden appearance of twenty or more birds is not uncommon. They are very common in the Northeastern United States, where they often outnumber all other bird types during bird counts. Female juncos tend to migrate farther south than do male juncos, so the farther south you live, females are more likely to outnumber the males. In the spring juncos often depart as suddenly as they came, heading back north.
Dark-eyed juncos are ground feeders, eating mostly insects during the summer, and seeds during the winter. They do a great job eating the seeds that fall from bird feeders, enjoying white millet the most.
Their song is usually a long series of trills. Their calls are short including “zeet” and “tsip”, when they are coming and going, respectively. When challenged or displaying dominance they have a call that sounds like “kew, kew, kew”.
The nest is built mostly by the female, with the male helping to gather materials. It is usually built on the ground under roots or low hanging branches. Sometimes the nest is built in low bushes. The materials include bark, pine needles, grasses and moss. Fine rootlets are used to line the nest.
The nesting period is from April through August, with two broods being raised. Junco eggs are gray or pale blue with dark speckles. Normally three to six eggs are laid and are incubated for 11 to 13 days by the female. The nestlings are fledged, or made to leave the nest, after they are 12 to 13 days old.
Dark - eyed juncos prefer the habitat offered by forest edges and glades. This makes them a very common site in wooded suburban areas. As mentioned above, they travel in large groups of about twenty birds, and if you watch carefully you can detect a distinct hierarchy in the flock. Juncos will clean up the seed thrown out of your feeders by more picky birds, such as nuthatches. Or, you can offer them seed right on the ground. They prefer white proso millet, which you can purchase by itself, or look for a blend that has a high percentage of millet. This is the small, white, shiny seed. On our website, to view millet go to the Consumer Products/Straight Ingredients/Other Ingredients and click on view seed.
As do most birds, juncos like the safety offered by nearby bushes or brush piles. Adding water to your feeding area will also help to attract juncos, as well as many other types of song birds.
Happy Birding!