Tag Archives: dark eyed juncos winter migration

One of the joys of birding in the mountains of North Carolina during the late summer & autumn is finding the birds that one usually sees in the wintertime here in the Triangle region.
Commonly referred to as the “Snowbird” by residents of central and eastern NC, the Dark eyed Junco calls the higher elevations of western NC home year round.

Often traveling in small family flocks, these birds are constantly on the move as they forage in the low brushy scrub areas in a never ending search for a meal.
I spotted this one at the Craggy Gardens Picnic area along the Blue Ridge Parkway while leading a bird tour here last month. Interestingly, the Juncos that I’ve seen up in the mountains appear to be larger in size than the ones that I typically see in my yard in central NC during the winter. Whatever they are finding to eat around here clearly serves them well in building fat reserves for colder weather ahead 😉

During the warmer months, Dark eyed Juncos feed mainly on insects, seeds and occasionally berries. Once the cold weather arrives, their diet consists of entirely seeds.
They are known to practice an interesting foraging method called “riding.” They’ll fly up and land onto a seed cluster on the top of a flimsy stem then catch a gravity assisted “ride” it to the ground where they pick off the shower of seeds that dropped on the way down.
Thinking that the round ones I’ve seen up in the mountains have that behavior down to a science lol!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
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Field Notes

Dark eyed Juncos: the Snowbird of the south

January 31, 2020 admin

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

Spotted quite a few dark-eyed Juncos this morning before the rain moved in.

Here in central N.C., many call them “Snowbirds” since the first flocks of winter migrants arrives along with the push of late November cold fronts.
The Dark-eyed Junco is similar to many other sparrows in its diet and foraging habits.
Their wintertime diet is primarily weed and grass seeds but occasionally they’ll eat small fruits and waste grains.
On a year-round basis, the diet is usually made up by three-quarters seeds and about one quarter insects.
Juncos display a variety of foraging behaviors, including gleaning, pecking, and scratching in the leaf litter in search of seeds and insects. During the winter, they’ll form large mixed flocks, often in the company of Chickadees, Cardinals, Sparrows, and Goldfinches, banding together to crowdsource food gathering efforts with other species of birds.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Dark- eyed Juncos have returned to central North Carolina

November 16, 2019 admin

The Dark-eyed Juncos have arrived in central N.C. !
It’s funny because I was just lamenting this morning on the fact that I haven’t seen any yet despite the recent cold front that has moved through.
Then this afternoon, a pair of them showed up on my property tagging along with a flock of Song Sparrows.
In my world, the first Junco sighting means that winter will soon be here.
So happy to see them again 🙂

If you’re unfamiliar with these lovely birds, Dark-eyed Juncos are pretty easy to identify. Males are mostly dark slate gray colored on their back, wings, and head, with a clean white belly. Females will usually have a mix of brown tones blending with the gray.

They are a common sight at backyard feeders across North Carolina in the cooler months. They are easy enough to attract with a good seed mix.
Some of their favorite foods include Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Hulled Sunflower Seeds, Safflower, Nyjer, Cracked Corn, Peanut Hearts, Millet, Oats, and Milo.

Dark-eyed Juncos will spend their winters here until returning to our northern states in the spring for breeding season. There are even small populations of permanent resident Juncos in the mountains of western N.C!
I say, if you are lucky enough to have Juncos all year round, how do you know that wintertime is coming?!