General

Dark-eyed Junco: Medium-sized sparrow with considerable geographic color variation, although all exhibit a pink bill, dark eyes, white belly, and dark-centered tail with white outer feathers. Gray-headed form has gray head, rump, breast, and sides, and rust-brown back. Slate-colored form is slate-gray overall with darker head. Oregon form has black hood, chestnut-brown back and buff-brown flanks. White-winged form is blue-gray overall and shows two white wing bars. Pink-sided form is blue-gray with darker wings and pink-gray flanks. Female of each form resembles male but is usually paler. Juveniles of all forms are heavily streaked brown with darker heads, white bellies, and white outer tail feathers.

Range and Habitat

Dark-eyed Junco: Breeds from Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland, and south to the mountains in Mexico and Georgia. Spends winters south to the Gulf coast and northern Mexico; vagrant in Iceland, British Isles, continental Europe, and east Siberia. Preferred habitats include openings and edges of coniferous and mixed woods. In the winter, frequents fields, roadsides, parks, and suburban gardens.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Song is a series of melodic trills varied in pitch and tempo., Call is a sharp but musical "kew" usually repeated several times or abrasive "dit" produced with sucking smack.

Interesting Facts

 The Dark-eyed Junco was the most common feeder bird in North America during the 1996-1997 Project FeederWatch season.

 They mainly eat insects and seeds. However the bird will sometimes eat its own droppings.

 A flash of white tail feathers serves as an alarm to other members of the flock.

 Males winter farther north than females.

 A group of sparrows has many collective nouns, including "a crew of sparrows", "a flutter of sparrows", "a meinie of sparrows", "a quarrel of sparrows", and an "ubiquity of sparrows."

Author

Gary Owen Dick