If you've noticed small gray birds hopping around under your feeder lately, flashing a bit of white every time they take off, you've just met one of the true signs of the season. Welcome back, juncos.
The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most familiar winter birds in North America, and also one of the most overlooked. It's small, it's tidy, and it shows up like clockwork right when the weather turns cold. Here's why this humble little bird deserves a closer look.
Why Everyone Calls Them Snowbirds
Juncos have a famous nickname, and it comes from their timing. Many of them arrive on their winter territories just before the first snow falls, which is how folks started calling them "snowbirds." Over much of the continent, their arrival is the unofficial signal that winter has begun.
They've spent the summer much farther north, and a large share of them breed in the vast boreal forests of Canada and Alaska. In the fall they head south, and arrivals typically start in late September and peak in late October. By now, flocks are settling into backyards, woodland edges, farm fields, and parks across a large part of the continent. Many mountain birds simply drop down to lower elevations for the winter.
One Species, Many Looks
Here's something that surprises a lot of people. The Dark-eyed Junco isn't one look, it's a whole family of them. Birders recognize six main forms, and depending on where you live, you'll probably see one in particular.
- Slate-colored Junco. The classic in the East, with a dark gray head and body, a white belly, and a pale bill.
- Oregon Junco. The common one in the West, with a dark hood and a brownish back and sides.
- White-winged Junco. Found in the Black Hills and nearby areas, with pale gray plumage and white wing bars.
- Pink-sided Junco. A Rocky Mountain form with a gray hood and warm, pinkish sides.
- Gray-headed Junco. A pale gray bird with a rusty patch on the back, found in the Southwest and southern Rockies.
- Red-backed Junco. A close relative of the Gray-headed Junco, with a reddish back.
Regardless of the form, you can usually spot a junco by a few clues. It's a small, sparrow sized bird, roughly six inches long, with a pale pink or whitish bill and bright white outer tail feathers that flash in flight. If a gray bird flies up from the ground into a bush and shows white on both sides of its tail, there's a good chance it's a junco.
A Quirky Migration Detail
One of the most interesting things about juncos is that males and females don't always travel the same distance. In at least the eastern part of the continent, females tend to winter farther south than males. That means that depending on where you live, the juncos at your feeder may be mostly one sex or the other.
Life in the Winter Flock
In summer, juncos defend their territories. In winter, they relax and join loose flocks, feeding on the ground in small groups and calling to one another with soft, ticking notes as they flit between the brush and the open.
Even within those flocks there's a social order. Birds that arrive earlier tend to rank higher than late arrivals, so you may see a little pushing and chasing at the feeder as the pecking order gets sorted out.
How to Welcome Juncos to Your Yard
Juncos are easy to attract, as long as you feed them the way they like to eat.
- Feed low. Juncos are ground feeders, so scatter seed on the ground or use a low platform feeder.
- Offer their favorites. Millet is a junco favorite, and they'll also take cracked corn, sunflower, safflower, and peanut pieces.
- Give them cover. A brush pile, evergreen shrubs, or a tangle of native plants gives them somewhere to dive when a hawk appears.
- Keep it clean. Rake up old seed and hulls regularly, since seed on the ground can spoil, especially in wet weather.
A Bird That Evolves in Real Time
Juncos aren't just common, they're adaptable. Estimates of their total population run into the hundreds of millions, which makes them one of the most abundant birds on the continent. They've also surprised scientists with how quickly they can change. In one long studied city population in Southern California, juncos developed noticeable physical differences, including shorter wings and stubbier beaks, in a relatively short time after settling in an urban environment.
That's a reminder that even the birds we think of as ordinary are still full of surprises.
Look Down, Not Up
When you think of winter birds, it's easy to look up for hawks, owls, or flashy finches. But some of the best birding in the cold months happens at ground level. Take a few minutes this week to watch the small gray birds scratching around under your feeder. You might notice patterns you've never seen before, like which form you have, which birds seem to be in charge, and how many are there.
Which kind of junco do you have in your yard? Tell us where you live and what you see.
0 comments