Yellow-eyed Juncos are medium-sized, striking birds with bright yellow eyes and are predominantly gray. They have reddish backs and wings, and their bellies are white.
Their upper bill is black, and the lower bill is yellow. Males and females have similar colorings, but juveniles have brown eyes, backs, and breasts, and their chests and bellies are finely streaked.
- Junco phaeonotus
- Length: 16 cm ( 6.25 in)
- Weight: 20 g (0.7 oz)
- Wingspan: 25 cm (9.75 in)
Range
Yellow-eyed Juncos do not migrate and can be found in Mexico and just across the border into southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Yellow-eyed Juncos in mountainous pine and oak woodland forests. They don’t have usual migration patterns but may move to lower elevations during winter.
Yellow-eyed Juncos often forage on the ground by scratching around and scattering leaf litter. They often look for seeds and insects, but they also eat berries, fruits, and flowers.
Yellow-eyed Junco Song:
Nests
Nests of Yellow-eyed Juncos are usually located in a clump of grass or hidden behind a rock or underneath a log. There are often three to five eggs in a nest made of dried grass and mammal hair. The female incubates the eggs for two weeks.
Attract Yellow-eyed Juncos
Attract them to your backyard by offering them sunflower seeds and other seeds in the winter. Ideally, you can use platform feeders or scatter these seeds on the ground.
Fun Fact:
Yellow-eyed Juncos sometimes build nests in a tree, a hollow, or in rain gutters instead of on the ground.