My Species History
After De and I moved to Oregon in December 2017, we didn't have much to do for the first few months but look out of our windows at the snowy trees and mountains, and we eventually started to notice the birds. We'd put up a bird feeder that the chickadees found, and then after it had been up for a few weeks, we noticed that there were some round little birds picking on the ground around the stone path to the door and the driveway, and we were pretty instantly in love.
These little cuties are a winter favorite of many folks around North America, and now we had joined them. We started putting some seed out directly on the ground, and soon enough we had a couple dozen Juncos regularly visiting us every day. By our third winter at Engleside, we would regularly have a flock of 40-50 of these plump friends zipping around, chipping and enjoying the snowy weather.
They were much rarer while we were in Louisiana, though if it gold cold for long enough we saw a few here and there. So we were very glad to come back to Oregon and see them so much more commonly in the cold months. In the summer of 2025 I got up in the mountains in the early Summer and finally heard their little song for the first time.
Juncos are definitely one of my favorite birds, and even with them being common we always get excited when we see them bopping around the yard. Here at the Ponderosa Cabin, they love to come in and pick through seeds that have fallen onto the bare ground underneath the back deck.
Species Description
Dark-eyed Juncos are small, plump sparrows that often travel in flocks. They are brownish overall, darker on the back and wings than their lighter bellies, with a much darker head (near-black in males, dark brown in females and immature birds), and a sharp, triangular pink bill (often tipped in black). In flight, their white outer tail feathers can be seen as they flash by.
Their call is a chip that sounds like two small rocks knocking together.
They feed on the ground in small to large groups, scratching around for small seeds. Once the snow sets in, they can be seen congregating on cleared/melted ground searching for food.
The hyemalis of their taxonomic name means "wintry", and is a clue that they are most often seen in the wintertime. You'll often see them as the cold weather starts to come in, and in mountainous areas where they breed, you'll start to see them as the snow sets in and they are pushed down to lower elevations.
