The Snow Bird

The Dark-eyed Junco is a flashy little sparrow that you'll often see pecking for seeds on the ground during winter. Poetically these "snow birds" remind us of winter. Their gray backs look like the dark skies of winter while their bellies mimic the snow on the ground.

During breeding season they are found flitting on forest floors of Canada and in the mountains of the western United States. In winter they can be seen in all states of the continental United States and in northern Mexico. Some juncos remain year-round in the eastern United States, breeding in the higher elevations of the northern Appalachians.

At this time of year, you can see Dark-eyed Juncos during your walks in parks or the woodlands. You'll often see them hopping across lawns looking for fallen seeds, or pushing aside leaf litter and pecking for seeds. Keep your eyes on the ground and listen for their high "chip" note, given almost absent-mindedly as they forage. Their song is a twittering or trilling sound.

Perhaps the easiest way to see juncos is by offering them seed in your backyard. More about that later.

The color of the Dark-eyed Junco varies a bit across the country. In the eastern United States, juncos have slate-gray upper parts and a white belly. The underside of its tail feathers is white, which creates a flash when the bird suddenly flies off. The color is brightened by a pinkish bill. As the name implies, its eyes are dark, almost black. The males tend to have darker, more conspicuous markings than the females.

During breeding season the female uses her bill to weave a cup-like nest on the ground, well hidden by vegetation. Sometimes she will build her nest in the lower branches of a shrub or tree. The nest consists of grass, pine needles, ferns, rootlets or moss. She will lay three to six eggs. They could be white, gray, bluish white or pale greenish white. They could be speckled with brown, gray or green, or unmarked.

Incubation lasts 12 to 13 days. Hatched chicks are born naked and clumsy with eyes closed. Nestlings fledge in about 10 to 13 days. There may be one to three broods per season.

The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common birds of North America. Recent estimates set the junco's population at about 630 million individuals! Because they are so numerous, widespread and adaptable, the species is likely to thrive for a long time to come. However, as with many other bird species, their numbers are in decline. The North American Breeding Bird Survey found that the population of Dark-eyed Juncos has fallen 41 percent since 1966, with a loss of about 1.2 percent per year.

Juncos spend entire winter months in flocks ranging from six to 30 individuals. There is a definitive hierarchy, with mature males at the top, followed by juvenile males, mature females and finally juvenile females. Early arrivals tend to rank higher in the group than later arrivals. You may see challenges in the form of aggressive tail flicking and lunges. Juncos often forage alongside other sparrows.

Juncos are primarily seed-eaters. During the breeding season, seed accounts for 75 percent of their diet, with the rest being beetles, caterpillars, moths, butterflies, ants, wasps and flies. In the colder months they depend almost entirely on seed.

Attract juncos to your backyard with a ground feeder (one with legs that raise the feeder off the ground by a few inches). Place the feeder 10 to 15 feet away from bushes or brush piles to give the birds a chance to take flight if a cat lunges at them. Juncos feed on the ground, a behavior that exposes them to feline predators.

Juncos seem to prefer white millet seed but also enjoy Nyjer (thistle), shelled sunflower seed and cracked corn. They'll even peck at peanuts. Use a mixture of seed high in white millet and you'll probably see juncos soon enough. 

There is some debate in the backyard birding community about the advisability of scattering seed directly on the ground for juncos. Some people believe that it is the natural way that birds such as juncos locate seed. Others say moisture from the ground or from precipitation could cause the seed to rot, making it unappealing to the birds. One option would be to scatter seed on pavement, where it is less likely to spoil. 

The best solution is a ground feeder. It keeps the seed off the ground and has a mesh screen in the bottom, allowing rain to pass through. Even so, don't fill the feeder to the brim. Place out only as much seed as the juncos will eat in one or two days. Keep the feeder clean by shaking out seed hulls into a garbage bag.

Because juncos are seen only during the winter, take advantage now of watching them in your backyard.