DARK-EYED JUNCO (Junco hyemalis)
In winter over much of the continent, flocks of Juncos can be found around woodland edges and suburban yards, feeding on the ground, making ticking calls as they fly up into the bushes. East of the plains the Juncos are all gray and white, but in the West they come in various color patterns, with reddish-brown on the back or sides or both; some of these were once regarded as different species. The forms have separate ranges in summer, but in winter several types may occur in the same flock in parts of the West.
Most (including all northern) populations are migratory. The peaks of migration are in October and March/April. The winter range extends across southern Canada and virtually all of the lower 48 states into northern Mexico. Juncos are found year-round throughout much of the West, Great Lakes region, Northeast, and Appalachians, though these areas experience complete or partial turnover of individuals
The Dark-eyed Junco is similar to many other sparrows in its diet and foraging ecology. Winter diet is primarily weed and grass seeds but occasionally small fruits and waste grains; breeding-season diet is primarily insects and spiders, more or less in proportion to availability. On a year-round basis, the diet is usually about three-fourths seeds and one-fourth arthropods. Juncos employ a variety of foraging methods, including gleaning, pecking, and scratching. The species forms flocks, often numbering in the hundreds, outside the breeding season; these flocks are strongly hierarchical, with larger birds dominant over smaller ones and older birds over younger ones. (Boreal Birds)
Nikon D7100
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR
220mm - f5.3 - 1/400 - ISO 400
DARK-EYED JUNCO (Junco hyemalis)
In winter over much of the continent, flocks of Juncos can be found around woodland edges and suburban yards, feeding on the ground, making ticking calls as they fly up into the bushes. East of the plains the Juncos are all gray and white, but in the West they come in various color patterns, with reddish-brown on the back or sides or both; some of these were once regarded as different species. The forms have separate ranges in summer, but in winter several types may occur in the same flock in parts of the West.
Most (including all northern) populations are migratory. The peaks of migration are in October and March/April. The winter range extends across southern Canada and virtually all of the lower 48 states into northern Mexico. Juncos are found year-round throughout much of the West, Great Lakes region, Northeast, and Appalachians, though these areas experience complete or partial turnover of individuals
The Dark-eyed Junco is similar to many other sparrows in its diet and foraging ecology. Winter diet is primarily weed and grass seeds but occasionally small fruits and waste grains; breeding-season diet is primarily insects and spiders, more or less in proportion to availability. On a year-round basis, the diet is usually about three-fourths seeds and one-fourth arthropods. Juncos employ a variety of foraging methods, including gleaning, pecking, and scratching. The species forms flocks, often numbering in the hundreds, outside the breeding season; these flocks are strongly hierarchical, with larger birds dominant over smaller ones and older birds over younger ones. (Boreal Birds)
Nikon D7100
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR
220mm - f5.3 - 1/400 - ISO 400