Tammy Anderson (B&B reader)- Named for its natural habitat of Guadalupe Island, the Guadalupe junco, unique to Mexico, is now endangered. There may be fewer than 100 left in the world.
- Dark-eyed juncos make their home in woodland areas and can live to be 11 years old.
- Beginning in 1924, biologist William Rowan’s research on dark-eyed juncos revealed that these migratory birds respond more to changes in daylight than temperature.
- Attract juncos to your backyard feeder with millet. This small seed comes in two types, red and white.
- The many subspecies of dark-eyed juncos fall into five major groups: gray-headed, Oregon, pink-sided, slate-colored and white-winged.
- Baby, it’s cold outside! Juncos grow down jackets. Their coat of feathers is 30% heavier in winter than in summer.
- Sure, they’ve got wings, but juncos prefer to hop around the forest floor, spending as much as 65% of their time on the ground.
- Dark-eyed juncos are nicknamed snowbirds, as they seem to bring snowy winter weather on their wings. In the colder months they travel in flocks of 15 to 25 from the evergreen forests to backyards all over the U.S.
Mary J Finocchiaro says
I have about20 of them living in the shrubs in front of my Windows. They log sunflower seeds. I had 1 the other day that kept flying into my window. Over and over.
pam nosko says
I don’t know what kind I have, but they are here year round in Wisconsin. I know for sure they are juncos.
Nina says
Hello Pam. You must live in Northern Wisconsin. Yes ? I live in SE WI and mine migrate north come April. 🙂
Nina says
Hello Pam. You must live in Northern Wisconsin. Yes? I live in SE WI and mine migrate north com April. 🙂
Mike Byro says
We have right now about 200 feeding on my porch, they are here every day almost all rear round, for the past 35 years.
Rod says
Among my favorite guests at my bird feeders.
Papa says
In my area, as soon as it starts getting warm out, they disappear.
They clean up the dropped thistle seed that the goldfinches drop.