The Dark –Eyed Junco (Junco) is a small black and white sparrow that breeds in the conifer forests of the Northern United States and Canada. Every year, over a half a billion Juncos descend upon their winter feeding grounds in the lower 48 appearing at feeders from New York to California. They are one of the most well-known and beloved birds in the U.S.. Despite being common and wildly distributed, Juncos are a fascinating species with many unique adaptations.
Relatively tiny, Juncos are between 5.5 and 6.5 inches from beak to tail with a wingspan of 7 to 9 inches. Juncos weigh in at around 1 ounce, meaning you could mail a junco across the country with a Forever Stamp. The Juncos plumage consists of a black dorsal (upper) half and a white ventral (lower) half. Juncos display sexual dimorphism with females having a slate gray dossal side and males having a dark black dorsal side.
The Juncos’ scientific name is junco hyemalis, stemming from the Latin word “hiems” meaning winter or snow. Appropriately, the Juncos’ nickname is the “Snow Bird”, and it easily hops on top of snow when feeding during winter. It is also seen as a sign of the coming winter, as they appear in many areas of the country just before winter sets in.
Juncos are ground foragers on both their breeding and wintering grounds. They feed by scratching away the leaf litter and picking out seeds uncovered by their efforts. This method is often referred to as the kick-scratch method, and it is the preferred method of feeding for most sparrow species. On the breeding grounds, Juncos may supplement their seed diet with insects, but on the wintering grounds they exclusively consume seeds.
During the breeding season, late May through early July, the female builds the nest and incubates the eggs. While the female is hard at work rearing the young, from a high perch above the nest the male Junco defends their territory with his loud trill call. Juncos normally lay 3-5 (sometimes 6) white to light grey eggs with brown specks. The nest is built on the ground or on a rock out cropping, rarely on a tree branch. After a 12 day incubation period, the chicks hatch out. The newly hatched chicks are born blind and largely featherless except for some light grey down on the back. Once hatched, it is another 12 days before the chick leave the nest. After leaving the nest, the young Juncos will spend the rest of summer fattening up for their first migration south.
As summer turns to fall, most Juncos leave their northern breeding grounds and spend winter across the lower 48. During winter, Juncos are readily found in woods with dense understories and field edges. They will often forage in yards and in towns taking advantage of weed seeds. Flock are somewhat nomadic, often moving between multiply feeding grounds during winter. Juncos will often take advantage of feeders and they like to clean up seeds dropped by other birds.
The Dark-Eyed Junco has 15 sub Species spread out throughout its range. One of the most interesting subspecies is the Appalachian subspecies. The Juncos in the Appalachian Mountains breed on mountainsides at high elevation in mixed deciduous/conifer forests, and winter at slightly lower elevations in the same general area. Since they do not migrate, they have developed considerably shorter wings than their migratory cousins.
Currently, the Junco population is stable to slightly declining, with an estimated population of 630 million. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature considers the Dark-Eyed Junco to be a species of least concern. With the increasing effects of climate change, it is likely that the Junco’s breeding and wintering ranges will shift to the north possibly leading to the extirpation of southern breeding populations.
Juncos are undeniably one of the most adaptable and widespread bird species in North America. With the exception of northern Alaska, the Junco is found everywhere in the United States and Canada during at least part of the year. From the vast boreal forest of Canada to the desserts of the Southwest, the Junco has been able to carve out a niche in everywhere it has flown. That ability to adapt to any environment makes them fantastic avian ambassadors, and wonderful examples of nature’s ability to overcome even the harshest conditions.
Relatively tiny, Juncos are between 5.5 and 6.5 inches from beak to tail with a wingspan of 7 to 9 inches. Juncos weigh in at around 1 ounce, meaning you could mail a junco across the country with a Forever Stamp. The Juncos plumage consists of a black dorsal (upper) half and a white ventral (lower) half. Juncos display sexual dimorphism with females having a slate gray dossal side and males having a dark black dorsal side.
The Juncos’ scientific name is junco hyemalis, stemming from the Latin word “hiems” meaning winter or snow. Appropriately, the Juncos’ nickname is the “Snow Bird”, and it easily hops on top of snow when feeding during winter. It is also seen as a sign of the coming winter, as they appear in many areas of the country just before winter sets in.
Juncos are ground foragers on both their breeding and wintering grounds. They feed by scratching away the leaf litter and picking out seeds uncovered by their efforts. This method is often referred to as the kick-scratch method, and it is the preferred method of feeding for most sparrow species. On the breeding grounds, Juncos may supplement their seed diet with insects, but on the wintering grounds they exclusively consume seeds.
During the breeding season, late May through early July, the female builds the nest and incubates the eggs. While the female is hard at work rearing the young, from a high perch above the nest the male Junco defends their territory with his loud trill call. Juncos normally lay 3-5 (sometimes 6) white to light grey eggs with brown specks. The nest is built on the ground or on a rock out cropping, rarely on a tree branch. After a 12 day incubation period, the chicks hatch out. The newly hatched chicks are born blind and largely featherless except for some light grey down on the back. Once hatched, it is another 12 days before the chick leave the nest. After leaving the nest, the young Juncos will spend the rest of summer fattening up for their first migration south.
As summer turns to fall, most Juncos leave their northern breeding grounds and spend winter across the lower 48. During winter, Juncos are readily found in woods with dense understories and field edges. They will often forage in yards and in towns taking advantage of weed seeds. Flock are somewhat nomadic, often moving between multiply feeding grounds during winter. Juncos will often take advantage of feeders and they like to clean up seeds dropped by other birds.
The Dark-Eyed Junco has 15 sub Species spread out throughout its range. One of the most interesting subspecies is the Appalachian subspecies. The Juncos in the Appalachian Mountains breed on mountainsides at high elevation in mixed deciduous/conifer forests, and winter at slightly lower elevations in the same general area. Since they do not migrate, they have developed considerably shorter wings than their migratory cousins.
Currently, the Junco population is stable to slightly declining, with an estimated population of 630 million. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature considers the Dark-Eyed Junco to be a species of least concern. With the increasing effects of climate change, it is likely that the Junco’s breeding and wintering ranges will shift to the north possibly leading to the extirpation of southern breeding populations.
Juncos are undeniably one of the most adaptable and widespread bird species in North America. With the exception of northern Alaska, the Junco is found everywhere in the United States and Canada during at least part of the year. From the vast boreal forest of Canada to the desserts of the Southwest, the Junco has been able to carve out a niche in everywhere it has flown. That ability to adapt to any environment makes them fantastic avian ambassadors, and wonderful examples of nature’s ability to overcome even the harshest conditions.