Since
the spring has been so warm, I was surprised that we still had juncos in
our yard until April 24th. In looking over last year's records, it turns
out the little gray guys were our guests until April 23, 2009. Juncos
could stay in our area year-round and I know of some that do about 20
miles from here. I guess ours prefer to travel to the honeymoon capital
of Niagara Falls and beyond. See ya' in the fall.
October
18, 2009 - Yesterday we caught a brief glance of a junco, crunching
around in the leaves. Today we were able to take pictures of
one of our favorite cold weather friends.
These juncos (part of the sparrow family) have distinctive color
variations across the United States. All, of course, have
dark eyes, similar shapes and behavior, and have white outer tail
feather and bellies. Their calls and songs are mostly
indistinguishable.
In our area of upstate NY, the junco is usually found year round.
Our little guys seem to disappear the beginning of April and return
mid October. Welcome back!
November and December, 2009 - We seem to have more juncos this year.
They came for the fall and are now really enjoying the winter
activities.
It was decided in 1973 by the American Ornithologists' Union to
group 5 different junco species into one category called Dark-Eyed
Junco. The geographic races differed in color and range, but were
related and shared similar habits. All of these birds have white outer
tail feathers, dark coloring on upper bodies, with white bellies and
whitish bill. The songs they sing are also similar. And of
course, they are all dark-eyed.
Juncos are one of my favorites, because the body shape is round and
cute and baby bird-like. They left us for the summer at the end of
April. Even if their return means cold, freezing days, I'm still
looking forward to seeing them busily hopping around our yard.
The first fall photos were taken on October 11th. The week
previous to this we had seen hints of the juncos' return as they flitted
among the leaves, just toying with us.
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Size:
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Length: 5-6 in
Weight: .7
Wingspan: 9.25-9.5 in
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ID:
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Male: Upper body, chest, wings and tail slate-gray or
charcoal colored; belly and underside of tail white; eyes very
dark; gray feet are anisodactylous (three toes point forward and
one toe points backward); bill short, rounded and pink; legs
pink
Female: Same as male except the gray areas are tan to brown
Juvenile: Same as female except breast and head are
streaked
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Habitat:
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Woodlands, agricultural and residential areas
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Diet:
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Invertebrates, seeds and berries; double scratches with both
feet (hopping) to expose seeds and insects; likes seed and
corn around feeders
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits: Monogamous and solitary; 2 broods per year
Local Breeding Period: Mid-May
Nests: Bulky nest of grass, leaves and rootlets lined with moss,
feathers and hair; male gathers material and female builds;
placed on ground or in cavities or shelters of brush or roots
Eggs: 3-6 pale bluish or grayish white with brown, purple and
gray markings especially at larger end; female incubates 12-13
days
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless, naked, eyes closed) and
stay in nest 9-13 days; fed by both parents
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Social Activities:
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Travels in mixed bird groups; adheres to social ranks
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Range:
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Breeding: Northern United States and most of Canada and
Alaska
Winter: United States and southern Canada; females migrate
further south than males
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Vocalization:
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Long trill; call "tic" with tinkling bell sounds
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Lifespan: |
Up to 11 years |
