|
|
Dark Eyed Junco - (Junco hyemalis)
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
Size
|
Length: 5-6 in
|
Weight: .7
|
Wingspan: 9.25-9.5 in
|
|
ID:
|
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
|
|
Habitat:
|
Woodlands, agricultural and
residential areas
|
|
Diet:
|
Invertebrates, seeds and berries;
double scratches with both feet
(hopping) to expose seeds and insects;
likes seed and corn around feeders
|
|
Family Behavior:
|
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
|
|
Social Activities:
|
Travels in mixed bird groups; adheres
to social ranks
|
|
Range:
|
Breeding: Northern United States and
most of Canada and Alaska
Winter: United States and southern
Canada; females migrate further south
than males
|
|
Vocalization:
|
Long trill; call "tic" with tinkling
bell sounds
|
| Lifespan: |
Up to 11 years |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
