JuncoFun Facts About Juncos

  • Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They’re easy to recognize by their crisp (though extremely variable) markings and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. Dark-eyed Juncos are among the most abundant forest birds of North America. Look for them on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them.
  • Dark-eyed Juncos are often called “Snowbirds,” possibly due to the fact that many people believe their return from their northern breeding grounds foretells the return of cold and snowy weather.
  • Dark-eyed Juncos tend to return to the same area each winter. Chances are that you have many of the same birds at your feeder this winter that you had in previous years.
  • To avoid the competition, many female juncos migrate earlier and go farther south than most of the males. In Michigan only 20% of the wintering juncos are females, whereas in Alabama 72% were found to be female.
  • 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.
  • Juncos have over 30 percent more feathers (by weight) in the winter than they do in summer.
  • Juncos prefer to roost in evergreens at night but will also use tall grasses and brush piles. They return to the same roost location repeatedly and will share it with other flock mates, but they do not huddle together.
  • The name junco is derived from the Latin word for the “rush” plant found in wetlands.
  • 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. A recent estimate set the junco’s total population at approximately 630 million individuals.

  • According to Project Feeder Watch, juncos are sighted at more feeding areas across North America than any other bird. Over 80% percent of those responding report juncos at their feeders.
  • The oldest recorded Dark-eyed Junco was at least 11 years, 4 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in West Virginia in 2001. It had been banded in the same state in 1991.