04-12-2008 12:16:18
Is it spring or winter?
Well, for all you weather watchers out there, the calendar says spring; the weather seems to indicate otherwise, and the feathered friends of Mother Nature seem a little confused.
Late last week, I spotted a dark-eyed Junco in my back yard. Although it is not the first time I have seen one, it’s kind of a different time of year for such a
sighting.
The dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis, is a common winter visitor to many backyards. In some regions, this bird is resident year round, but in many regions of the U.S., their arrival signals the beginning of the winter season.
See what I mean?
According to some bird experts, they are referred to as the “snowbirds” of the middle latitudes. In the eastern United States, they appear in all but the
most northern states only in the winter, and then retreat each spring. Well, Maine is about as northern as any eastern state can get, but they are here. I’ve seen them on several occasions over the past several years.
There are four regional variations of the dark-eyed Junco. The slate-colored Junco, is the one we see in our area. They have a dark slate-gray head, breast and upper parts. Females are brownish gray. They have white bellies, white outer tail feathers, and dark eyes. They usually don’t have wing
bars, and their bills are commonly pink. No other sparrow is so plainly marked with white outer tail feathers.
The juncos are a single species, yet vary wildly in appearance. Famous 18th century Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus developed a system of Latin names for classifying living things. Birds were categorized primarily on the basis of outward appearance, with distinct plumages indicating different species. A century later, Charles Darwin outlined a process of evolution whereby species were no longer fixed permanently but, instead, changed
through time. In the case of the juncos, they have developed different
plumages, but in behavior and calls they are similar, and several distinct types mate with one another freely.
It is found in North America in taiga (pine) forests from Alaska to Newfoundland and south to the Appalachian Mountains, wintering further south. It is relatively common in its range. The juncos are widespread and a common small sparrow.
They are generally about six inches long with a wingspan of about 7-10 inches.
The juncos prefer to feed on the ground, eating seeds of grasses
and weeds. Their breeding habitat is coniferous or mixed forest areas throughout North America. They usually nest in a cup-shaped depression on the ground, well hidden by vegetation or other material, although they are sometimes found in the lower branches of a shrub or tree. If danger threatens a juncos nest, the big-footed young can usually
escape by running.
Normally two broods of four eggs are laid during the breeding season. They are incubated by the female for 12 to 13 days. The slightly glossy egg shells are grayish or pale bluish-white in color and heavily spotted with various shades of brown, purple and gray. The spotting is concentrated at the large end of the egg. Young leave the nest between 11 and 14 days of hatching.
Northern birds migrate further south. In winter, juncos are familiar
in and around towns.
It is reported that flocks of Juncos return to the same general
wintering grounds each year. Overall, breeding bird counts show that Junco populations are declining slightly, especially in the northeastern United States and Canada.
So, are these little sparrows trying to tell us something, or are
they just winter’s last hangers on?
Is that Woodrow I hear laughing in the distance?