Juncos vary across the country (see Regional Differences), but in general they're dark gray or brown birds brightened up by a pink bill and white outer tail feathers that periodically flash open, particularly in flight. Dark-eyed Juncos are birds of the ground.

What do female juncos look like?

Females of the Slate-colored Juncos are a bit paler and brownish-gray, especially browner on the crown and back.

Where are juncos found?

The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common birds in North America and can be found across the continent, from Alaska to Mexico, from California to New York.

Are juncos finches or sparrows?

junco, any of several birds of the genus Junco, small sparrows of the family Emberizidae. Juncos are about 15 cm (6 inches) long and variable in colour, though generally a shade of gray; they have white outer tail feathers that are flashed in flight to the accompaniment of snapping or twittering calls.

Are juncos friendly?

Dark-eyed juncos are more widespread in the winter months, and are often called “snowbirds” because they appear in backyards most often when snow is on the ground. Attracting these energetic birds is easy, if you make your yard junco-friendly to meet their needs.

Dark-eyed Junco #19 - Common Birds of SBEAS Region

19 related questions found

Do juncos come to feeders?

As ground-feeding birds, they feed best from low platform feeders or open trays, and sprinkling seed on the ground can also attract juncos.

What is the Junco birds favorite food?

Seeds from common plants such as chickweed, buckwheat, lamb's-quarters and sorrel make up 75 percent of their year-round diet. But juncos also supplement with feeder foods. These snowbirds prefer to forage on the ground for millet, sunflower hearts or cracked corn that has fallen from your feeders.

Are chickadees juncos?

Below, the mountain chickadee also lives in dry evergreen forests in the Western mountains. ... Juncos breed in northern or mountain forests but can be found in a wide variety of habitats in winter. When I first started birding juncos like this one were listed as a separate species, the Oregon junco.

Where do juncos sleep at night?

Every day we see flocks of American tree sparrows and dark-eyed juncos feeding on the grass heads. I'm sure that some birds are spending nights in the shelter of those grasses, under roofs of snow. And the seeds that the birds ate before dark will help keep them warm.

Where do Junco birds go in the summer?

Dark-eyed Juncos summer in forest openings in northern parts of North America and in forested mountains in the West. Up to 66% of all Dark-eyed Juncos nest in the boreal forests. In winter they move south and are found in most of the United States.

Do juncos eat suet?

These ground feeding birds will eat suet (they love Bark Butter when spread at the base of a tree), but they aren't particularly adept at clinging to suet feeders like this suet log.

Where do juncos build their nests?

Nest Placement

The female chooses the nest site, typically in a depression or niche on sloping ground, rock face, or amid the tangled roots of an upturned tree. Around people, juncos may nest in or underneath buildings.

Where do juncos go after winter?

The Cornell folks call juncos the “snowbirds of the middle latitudes.” That is, they migrate south from Canada shortly before winter, but go no farther than Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York. At winter's end, they return to Canada to nest and raise young.

Is a junco a songbird?

Juncos are among the most common songbirds of North America. They typically live in forest understories but often visit feeders, especially during winter.

How big is a junco bird?

Juncos are medium-sized (6 ¼ inches long) sparrows, but unlike most sparrows, their plumage lacks streaking. Dark-gray above and white below (or “gray skies above, snow below”), the junco has a conical, pinkish bill and flashes its white outer tail feathers in flight.

Do juncos use birdhouses?

Building a Birdhouse For The Dark-eyed Junco

Since dark-eyed juncos prefer nesting on the ground they do not frequent birdhouses. However in the winter they sometimes make use of man-made winter roosts which can actually be simply a modified a spring nesting box used by other birds.

Can juncos open sunflower seeds?

Sunflower seeds, but not just any sunflower seeds. ... Even though the sparrow-type birds like the song sparrows, white-crowned sparrows, golden-crowned sparrows and dark-eyed juncos like bird seed mixes, they too will eat the small sunflower seeds.

Are chickadees in Oregon?

Various species of chickadees and nuthatches are found throughout Oregon. Fun little birds to watch, chickadees and nuthatches are common in Oregon.

How many subspecies of dark eyed junco are there?

There are about 15 different Dark-eyed Junco subspecies in North America, which can be lumped into the six groups described below. Most of these, aside from the red-backed form, are somewhat migratory—so even though they separate out in summer to breed, in winter they commingle.

Do Juncos like peanuts?

Birds That Eat Peanuts

The most common birds that enjoy peanuts include: Chickadees. Crows. Dark-eyed juncos.

Are Juncos aggressive?

Each winter flock of juncos has a dominance hierarchy with adult males at the top, then juvenile males, adult females and young females at the bottom. You can often observe individuals challenging the status of others with aggressive displays of lunges and tail flicking.

How do you deter Juncos?

First Try: Stop Millet

White-Throated Sparrows and Dark-Eyed Juncos who also eat millet will be around another few weeks. So I instead spread handfuls of nyjer seed for them. They seem totally cool with it and I've got a couple Song Sparrows eating it too.

What do baby Juncos eat?

With few exceptions, baby birds eat bugs. Bugs are high in fat and protein and easier to digest than seeds. When the junco chicks grow up, they will live primarily on seeds, but as chicks they need bugs; so that is what I provided. You can buy live mealworms at most pet stores.