From Opus

Photo by Muskrat
The bird pictured is a male of the "Slate-colored" subspecies.

Junco hyemalis

[edit] Identification

5-6 1/4 in (13-16 cm)

This species shows much geographic variation in color.

[edit] "Oregon Junco"

Found in western populations

[edit] Male

• Black hood
• Chestnut mantle
• White underparts with buff sides

[edit] "Slate-colored Junco"

[edit] Male

• Dark slate gray head, upper breast, flanks and upperparts
• White lower breast and belly

Both forms have pink bill and dark gray tail with white outer tail feathers conspicuous in flight.

[edit] "White-winged Junco"

Isolated populations in the pine forests of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and eastern Montana

• 2 white wing bars
• Extensive white outer tail feathers

[edit] "Gray-headed Juncos"

Populations in the Southwest

• Gray overall
• Reddish-brown back

[edit] Females

Female "Oregon Junco" has gray hood; females of all forms less colorful.

[edit] Distribution

Northern birds migrate further south; many populations are permanent residents or altitudinal migrants. In winter, juncos are familiar in and around towns. The "Slate-coloured" Junco is a rare vagrant to western Europe and has wintered in Great Britain, usually in a domestic garden.

[edit] Taxonomy

The best-known species of junco, a genus of small American sparrows.

[edit] Habitat

Openings and edges of coniferous and mixed woods; in winter, fields, roadsides, parks, suburban gardens.

[edit] Behaviour

This lively territorial bird is a ground dweller and feeds on seeds and small fruits in the open. It also moves through the lower branches of trees and seeks shelter in the tangle of shrubs.

Until recently the many geographical forms of this bird were considered separate species, but since they interbreed wherever their ranges meet, they are now considered one species.

[edit] Nesting

3-6 pale bluish or greenish eggs, with variegated blotches concentrated at the larger end, in a deep, compact nest of rootlets, shreds of bark, twigs, and mosses, lined with grasses and hair, placed on or near the ground, protected by a rock ledge, a mud bank, tufts of weeds, or a fallen log.

[edit] Vocalisation

[edit] Song

A high trill

[edit] Call

A rapid tew tew tew. Sometimes given softly
Also, tzeep tzeep especially when disturbed

[edit] External Links