Do you know your Dark-eyed Juncos?

December 15, 2006 on 4:29 pm | In Daily Local Birder |

Junco hyemalis is far from a plain little bird

We Sonoma County residents may come to take the humble Dark-eyed Junco for granted, so common a bird is he in our area. Right this moment, a small flock of them are hopping about beneath my Gravenstein apple tree, as they do almost every day. It does seem that nearly every hedgerow in the county houses at least a few of these dependable fowls, and this can lead us to overlook them. When we do that, we may miss some of the interesting variations that are present in the Junco family.

Californians have the chance to see 3 variants of the Junco, and my accompanying sketch illustrates these. Bird #1 is the Slate-colored Junco, and as you can see, he is a sooty and white bird, quite different from his browner brothers. Slate-Colored Juncos winter here, so be observant in the field and you may note them. Birds 2 and 3 are commonly referred to as Oregon Juncos, but within this category there is a light and dark variety. The birds I see most often here in Sonoma County are the light ones. Due to my own lack of careful observation, I am not sure I have ever actually identified the darker birds, and am now eager to. It may be that, one day, Juncos will be officially broken down into different species, with different names. I think this would be a good idea, as there are currently 6 recognized sub-species of Juncos in the United States.

Further field notes on the Junco

Do you think of Juncos as ground feeders? So did I until I watched them figure out my feeder. We have a simple tube feeder that we keep filled with organic, shelled sunflower seeds - no fancy ‘bird seed’ for us. The Juncos love to sit on the perches, and their sturdy little weight makes the feeder go round and round, like an aerial merry-go-round. Rather an amusing sight! I’d like to add that I have even see California Towhees accomplish perching on the feeder, which really amazed us…and, that cantankerous Scrub Jays have knocked the feeder right to the ground!

Perhaps the thing I have become most fond of in Juncos is the pleasure they give in flight. All at once, the earth-toned birds flash up from the ground, their tails beribboned with streamer-like white feathers. Watch for these if you have yet to add a Junco to your lifelist, and the streamers will help you confirm your identification.

Female Juncos are paler, duller versions of their husbands, and they lay 3-6 pale blue, mottled eggs in a nest made of a wide variety of materials, protected by a rock ledge, log or weeds. You will find them both in forests and in backyards. Their call is a repeated zick and they also make trilling sounds.

Where to see Juncos in Sonoma County
Take Hwy 12 east from Santa Rosa or west from Sonoma. Turn on Lawndale Rd. near the little town of Kenwood, and follow the road until you come to a very small parking lot. This lot is at the foot of one of the many entrances into Annadel State Park. Even if you’re not a great walker, never fear. A great number of Dark-eyed Juncos are almost always on the ground right by the gate of the trail.

This is a super trail, if you’ve never hiked it. Even a 15 minute walk on it will likely show you California Quail, Spotted Towhees, various sparrows, Hermit Thrushes, Northern Orioles and a variety of hawks at different times of the year. This trail will always be particularly special to us as it was where we one day added the Northern Pygmy Owl to our list! Annadel is a Sonoma County treasure, with abundant birding opportunities and a fabulous variety of habitats to explore.

The lesson from today’s blog post is to be especially observant when birding. Noticing a regional variation in a bird you thought you knew so well can really make your day!