Overview

Dark-eyed Junco: Medium sparrow with considerable geographic color variation, although all exhibit a pink bill, dark eyes, white belly, dark-centered tail with white outer feathers. Short flight with white outer tail feathers flashing, alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

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.

Breeding and Nesting

Dark-eyed Junco: Three to six white to blue eggs marked with brown and gray, are laid in a deep, compact nest made of rootlets, shreds of bark, twigs, and mosses, lined with grass and hair, and usually built on or near the ground, protected by a rock ledge, mud bank, tufts of weeds, or a fallen log. Occasionally builds nest in a shrub or low tree less than 20 feet above the ground. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Dark-eyed Junco: Diet includes seeds, berries, insects, and fruits. Forages by gleaning from vegetation and scratching on the ground; may also hawk flying insects. In spring and fall joins mixed-species foraging flocks.

Readily Eats

Cracked Corn, Peanuts, Nut Meats

Vocalization

Dark-eyed Junco: Song is a ringing metallic trill on the same pitch. Members of a flock, which may spread out widely, keep in contact by constantly calling "tsick" or "tchet."

Similar Species

Dark-eyed Junco: Yellow-eyed Junco has yellow eyes, black lores, rufous back, and paler gray head and nape. Black-chinned Sparrow has streaked back, brown wings, and lacks white tail edges.