Sunday, January 20, 2013

Dark-Eyed Junco, Junco Hyemalis Female


Day 110: Colloquially, they're called "snow birds" by many of the locals. Some field guides refer to Junco hyemalis as the "Oregon Junco," but more often, you'll find them lumped with other variations (Pink-sided, Slate-colored, etc.) under Dark-Eyed Junco. The ladies of the Oregon variation have a grey hood rather than the black exhibited by the males and can be difficult to distinguish from the Pink-sided form where both occur together. Additionally, there is a lot of subspecies interbreeding to further complicate the issue, a good reason to consolidate these common birds under one heading. Here in the Pacific Northwest, you will see them often and at all times of the year.

No comments:

Post a Comment