February 5 Juncos are Way Cool

This incredibly common bird deserves some kudos for living in 49 United States, coast to coast in Canada, and the northern half of Mexico. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, there are 630 million Dark-Eyed Juncos in North America. They are with us here in Madison through the winter, and then head to the northern forests or west to the mountains for breeding season. In winter, they will use almost any habitat type to forage on the ground for seeds, the way this female did today on a sidewalk at the Arboretum. She is slightly lighter than the male, which is a dark slate. You can identify both by the white flash of their tail as they fly off, looking for more seeds.