Bird of the Week
This active little bird is part of a group of small new world sparrows that are common across most of temperate North America and summers as far north as the arctic. Dark-eyed Juncos breeding habitat is coniferous or mixed forest areas throughout North America.
It is a ground forager often in large flocks that have several different subspecies. Seeds make up 75% of their diet although during breeding season insects make up 50% of their diet. Young juncos rely on a diet of mainly insects.
Dark-eyed juncos usually nest in a small cup-shaped depression on the ground that is well-hidden by vegetation or other material, although they will sometimes nest in the lower branches of a shrub or tree.
Dark-eyed Junco populations are also of interest to scientists for how they are responding to urbanization. A population of Dark-eyed Juncos living on the University of California, San Diego’s campus were first studied in the 1980s, and have been a subject of interest for how much they differ from less urban neighboring populations. One of the most notable differences of the UCSD population is that they do not migrate like other populations of juncos. Instead, they remain on campus year-round!
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Dark-eyed Juncos are often called “snowbirds.” They have 15 recognized subspecies. A flock of juncos is called a blizzard. Calls include tick sounds and very high-pitched tinkling chips. It is known among bird song practitioners as an excellent bird to study for learning “bird language”. Dark-eyed juncos have been widely investigated as a model for rapid speciation. They have been documented to produce hybrids with white-throated sparrows. The spiritual meaning of Dark-eyed Junco symbolizes the ability to persevere. There are an estimated 630 million Dark-eyed Juncos across North America. Juncos have over 30% more feathers (by weight) in the winter than they do in summer. Click here to watch its “fast foraging shuffle.” Click here to hear one singing.
Dark-eyed Junco Fun Facts
