"Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day" ~Snowbird by Gene MacLellan
Spring is a time of new beginnings and as much as I love seeing all of the spring migrants that make New England their home for the next few months, I'm always a little sad to see the "winter birds" move on.
One of my favorite winter birds, and a bird that is quite common at backyard birdfeeders in the Eastern United States, is the Dark-eyed Junco. In fact, these birds are the "snowbirds" of much of the US - they appear just as winter begins to set in, but come Spring they head for the forest floors of the Western mountains and Canada. (Some Juncos in other parts of the US are year-round residents, but they will head to higher elevations during the warmer months.)
Interestingly, the color patterns of Juncos vary across the country. East of the Plains they are gray and white birds (with a few that appear a bit more in the brownish range) - but in the west they come in various color patterns including "pink-sided," "gray-headed," and "red-backed."
I last saw a Junco in my yard two days ago. I suppose it is possible that there will be a few stragglers that hang around for a while longer, but I hope the same doesn't hold true for the snow!
Dark-eyed Juncos
Middlesex County, MA
Thank you for describing their song : I have looked it up, and have found a video of one of these cuties perched on top of a pine and singing, so lovely indeed, very cute sound :-). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlJUsAl4YCA
Hi Anne - thank you so much! They really are sweet looking little birds...and they make the cutest noises when they are out "foraging" under the bird feeders. They almost sound like little robots. :) I have yet to see the color variations in other parts of the country, but it is definitely on my "must see" list. Some of them are very striking!
This is a lovely bird, and great information :-). I had no idea about the variations in colors. The third photo is really beautiful, so very sweet (..so is the first one :-). I do like the second photo, it's interesting (and cute) to see the Dark-eyed Junco on the snowy ground with its grey wings opened, and its white belly. And its brown delicate "neckless" which I almost missed ! These small brown feathers around its neck are amazing, what a surprise :-) !