Species Profile:
Dark-eyed Junco

The early morning mist hung in a heavy gray curtain over the balsams, drifted in ragged wisps among the huckleberry bushes and stood shroud-like over the lichen-covered rocks. Suddenly atop one of these age-old formations a small gray and white bird took shape, wraith-like against its sombre background. Tilting his head upward, the bird opened his beak and poured forth a simple but musical trill which echoed sweetly amid the whirling banners of mountain fog. A…junco greeted the advent of another day.

So wrote Alexander Sprunt, obviously a fan of the Dark-eyed Junco. This member of the sparrow family has also been described as "leaden skies above, snow below", an apt description for what's likely the easiest sparrow in Ontario to identify. Its creamy bill and white outer tail feathers (visible amid the dark gray only when the bird flies or deliberately fans out its tail) complete the picture.

The different colourations of juncos in North America originally led ornithologists to believe that there were four separate species, named White-winged, Slate-coloured, Oregon and Gray-headed. Now they are all considered to be one: the Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis).

Once called the snowbird or tomtit, the junco is a common breeder in all but the southernmost parts of the province. The male's song proclaims that his wooded, two to three-acre territory is taken; other male juncos can get lost! The female, who does most of the nest building, chooses from a stunning array of materials: dried grasses, mosses, twigs, pine needles, bark, feathers, fern rootlets or hair. The nest is usually nestled against a cliff , exposed bank or even upturned tree roots.

Nests may be hidden under the overhang of ferns, blueberry bushes or other branches. The three to five eggs, which are variations of grey or pale blue with reddish brown or grey speckles, take a little less than two weeks to hatch.

Both parents feed the young, making approximately eight nest visits per hour during daylight. This incredible regimen allows the nestlings to develop from blind, naked and helpless beings into feathered flyers - albeit very unsteady ones - in less than two weeks. After they leave the nest the male may feed them for another three weeks.

It's always exciting when the first juncos arrive at my feeder in autumn. What most people don't know is that there's a good chance some of the returning juncos are the same individuals of the winter before. Your backyard restaurant may be catering to repeat customers!

The feeder is a great place to watch dominance behaviours. Each wintering flock of juncos has a well-established hierarchy. Members assert their dominance by running along the ground pecking at a subordinate or initiating flight chases. Lifting and opening the tail to reveal the white outer feathers is another ground display that demonstrates who's boss.

During the cooler months, juncos are fairly common around the Yonge Corporate Centre where FLAP volunteer Marc Klein works, and Marc picks up his fair share. [Over 500 Dark-eyed Juncos have been recorded by FLAP in the eight years since we formalized our rescue work around Toronto's office towers.] One day last October Marc found a limp junco in front of the property manager's office window. Gently he lowered him into a paper bag in preparation for a trip to the Toronto Humane Society. Halfway there, the bird revived and started fluttering inside the bag, a sign that this junco at least would rejoin his flock of lovely sparrows.

Chris Earley
Chris is the Interpretive Naturalist at the University of Guelph's Arboretum. His latest book, The Sparrows and Finches of Ontario, is due out next month.