Birds
Dark-Eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis · also called snowbird, slate-colored junco
The first hard frost of the season arrives, and right on schedule a small flock of dark-eyed juncos appears beneath the feeder, hopping and scratching through the fallen seed as if they had been carried in on the cold air itself.
Overview
The dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis, is a common ground-foraging songbird native to forest and mountain habitat across North America. Its nickname, the snowbird, and its remarkable plumage variation across different regional forms make it one of the more recognisable and well-studied small birds on the continent.
One species wearing many different coats
Few North American songbirds pack as much visual variety into a single species as the dark-eyed junco, whose regional forms once looked different enough to fool observers into thinking they were watching entirely separate birds.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and abundant across suitable forest and mountain habitat throughout North America.
Dark-Eyed Junco: common questions
Why is the dark-eyed junco called a snowbird?
The dark-eyed junco earned the nickname snowbird because it commonly arrives at bird feeders and lower elevations just as winter sets in, giving the impression that the bird travels alongside the season's first snowfall, even though its actual movement is driven by seasonal migration rather than the weather itself.
Why do dark-eyed juncos look so different depending on where you see them?
A dark-eyed junco shows considerable plumage variation across different regional forms, several of which, such as the slate-colored and Oregon forms, were once classified as entirely separate species before ornithologists combined them into a single, highly variable species based on genetic and behavioural evidence.
How does a dark-eyed junco find food?
A dark-eyed junco forages mainly on the ground, hopping and scratching through leaf litter and open soil in search of fallen seeds and small invertebrates, a foraging style that makes it a frequent visitor beneath bird feeders where dropped seed accumulates.
Where does the dark-eyed junco live?
The dark-eyed junco breeds in forest and mountain habitat across much of North America, and many populations migrate to lower elevations or further south for winter, considerably expanding the range where the species can be seen during the colder months.