Warblers, Sparrows, Finches & Blackbirds
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
A neat gray sparrow often called the "snowbird" because it shows up at feeders with the first cold weather. It breeds in high Appalachian forests.
How to identify it
- Slate-gray head, back and breast
- Clean white belly
- Pale pink bill
- White outer tail feathers flash in flight
- Musical trill song and "tick" calls
SizeAbout the size of a Song Sparrow
Carolina Chickadee4 in
Song Sparrow6 in
Dark-eyed Junco6 in
American Robin10 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 5.5–6.5 in long; wingspan 7–10 in
- Weight
- 0.6–1.1 oz
- Habitat
- Woodland edges, fields, yards and feeders; mountain forests in summer
- When to see it
- Winter across most of the US, including the Carolinas; year-round in the Appalachian mountains
- Diet
- Seeds; insects in summer
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Eats seeds of weeds and grasses on the ground; feeds young insects.
Nesting
A cup on the ground, hidden under roots, banks or vegetation.
- Clutch
- 3–6 eggs
- Incubation
- 11–13 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 10–13 days
- Broods
- 1–3 per year
Behavior
Winter flocks have a pecking order. Flashes white tail feathers when flushed.
Conservation
Abundant, though slowly declining.
Cool facts
- It's one of the most common birds in North America, with an estimated 630 million.
- Juncos come in several color forms across the continent.
- In the Carolinas, it breeds only on high mountains.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Dark-eyed Junco
▶Video coming soon
