Like many birders, I enjoy trying to learn more about the species that live around me. And while birds with bright colors like the red chest of the robin or bright yellow of a goldfinch can be easier to sight, I am enjoying getting to learn about the LBBs or little brown birds that live in and around my neighborhood. And without a doubt, my most common sighting is the dark-eyed junco. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized how little I knew about these adorable birds and their life.

Dark-Eyed Junco – ways to identify

Before I dive into the details, I should note that here in Oregon, we have a specific color combination that is most common – a fact I didn’t even know until this year. For other areas, there may be no brown to the coloration at all – like in the slate colored variety. Here in Oregon, they most often have a dark black head, brown back, with white underside. One distinctive feature is their tail which has white feathers framed by black ones, which flick in and out when they fly. This variety is most common in the western US, while the slate colored variety is found in the Eastern US and much of Canada.

They are small birds, about 5.5 – 6.3 inches in length. They are in the sparrow family and have a beak similar in shape to many other sparrows – though it is often pink or slightly orange in color. They are often found on or near the ground as this is where they tend to forage, but will occasionally fly up into trees. Like many sparrows, they are seed-feeders and thus are a likely visitor if you hang bird feeders outside your home, especially if you offer smaller seeds like millet.

Life Cycle of a Dark-Eyed Junco

Another fact I recently learned is that dark-eyed juncos are ground nesters. They will often build their nests in small openings in ground or rock, though I have found them in the low growing plants around many homes and businesses. The nestlings look very similar to song sparrows and can often be found chirping and following their parents and begging to be fed. Sometimes when their feathers are fluffed out, they even appear larger than the adults. Like other ground nesting birds, this leaves them more vulnerable to predation by cats, snakes, and other animals. Since 1966, Dark Eyed Juncos have experienced a 31% decrease in population. Increasing awareness may help improve survival rates for them and other bird species.

Conclusion

Little brown birds like the Dark Eyed Junco can often become overlooked while searching for something new. In the process, I feel I have missed out on so many interesting details of these fascinating little members of the sparrow family. So I would encourage you to spend some time enjoying the little common place parts of the natural world around you. You too might discover something new among them.