Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
Photographed two Dark-eyed Juncos having a spat over some seeds on the ground at our friends cottage on Kenogamissi Lake in the Township of Doyle in Northeastern Ontario Canada
Sixty-six percent of the global population of Dark-eyed Junco breeds in the boreal forest of North America. The Slate-colored form nests throughout the boreal region, from the shores of the Bering Sea to the Atlantic, and south through the Appalachians. Other forms nest throughout the western mountains to northern Baja California and west Texas. The breeding system of the Dark-eyed Junco is categorized as "social monogamy." Although birds of both sexes tend to have only one "social mate" with which they nest and defend a territory, they frequently copulate with neighboring birds. As a result, males raise many young that are not their own. Females that lose their mates quickly re-pair, often with neighboring males who may sire broods with their new mates while also rearing young with their original mates. Such males rarely care for their new mates' original young, even though some likely are their own offspring. The nest is usually on the ground, often on a sloping bank, and concealed under a protruding rock, among roots, under a log, or at the base of plant stems, but occasionally in a tree. Usually four eggs are laid, with larger clutches more frequent early in the season and smaller clutches late. The young are able to run before they can fly, if necessary, because their legs develop quickly. Southern populations normally attempt to raise two broods per year. Nest predation, particularly by rodents, is very high, and overall productivity is highly correlated with rodent density.
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This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. They may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
Photographed two Dark-eyed Juncos having a spat over some seeds on the ground at our friends cottage on Kenogamissi Lake in the Township of Doyle in Northeastern Ontario Canada
Sixty-six percent of the global population of Dark-eyed Junco breeds in the boreal forest of North America. The Slate-colored form nests throughout the boreal region, from the shores of the Bering Sea to the Atlantic, and south through the Appalachians. Other forms nest throughout the western mountains to northern Baja California and west Texas. The breeding system of the Dark-eyed Junco is categorized as "social monogamy." Although birds of both sexes tend to have only one "social mate" with which they nest and defend a territory, they frequently copulate with neighboring birds. As a result, males raise many young that are not their own. Females that lose their mates quickly re-pair, often with neighboring males who may sire broods with their new mates while also rearing young with their original mates. Such males rarely care for their new mates' original young, even though some likely are their own offspring. The nest is usually on the ground, often on a sloping bank, and concealed under a protruding rock, among roots, under a log, or at the base of plant stems, but occasionally in a tree. Usually four eggs are laid, with larger clutches more frequent early in the season and smaller clutches late. The young are able to run before they can fly, if necessary, because their legs develop quickly. Southern populations normally attempt to raise two broods per year. Nest predation, particularly by rodents, is very high, and overall productivity is highly correlated with rodent density.
©Copyright Notice
This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. They may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.