Junco hyemalis

Identifying Features

In New York, dark-eyed juncos are gray with a white belly and pink beak. In other areas of North America their color varies greatly.

Habitat & Range

In much of New York, including the Cayuga Lake Basin, dark-eyed juncos are year-round residents. Their year-round range reaches north through Maine and also includes parts of the northern Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and the southwestern corner of Canada.

Their breeding range extends across most of Canada, while their nonbreeding range encompases the rest of the United States and northern Mexico.

Behavior

Dark-eyed juncos eat seeds and insects.

Their call is a short trill.

Featured image by Randen Perterson.