It hasn’t been a big year for Slate-colored Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis), a generally common winter visitor. This was the only one around the other day and I haven’t seen many this winter. They are are usually found close to the ground in small flocks, so this view gives a good sense of the very contrasting dark top and light underside, which is the color of snow. The white feathers in the tail flash when they fly, making the small, plain birds easy to pick out in the distance. Hard to see here: the pinkish bill. One of the New World Sparrows, Juncos are broken up into five subspecies in North America; the Slate-colored is the only one found in the East.
Snowbird
4 responses to “Snowbird”
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I really appreciate your daily posts. They light up my mornings!
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It seems like all the juncos are up here. We have three to four dozen under and at our feeder.
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Local and regional movements of birds during winter, especially now rare tough winters like this one, should be an interesting topic.
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Indeed…more than the usual number up of juncos here in Ulster county NY this year. A typical winter day brings 12-15 to the slice of yard I can see from my window. It’s been easily twice that most days this winter.
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Backyard and Beyond 
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