Dark-eyed juncos are small, hardy, attractive birds that winter throughout most of the U.S. Often called "snow birds," they are represented by four races which were once considered to be distinct species; the races themselves demonstrate regional variation in their plumage. All races are ground feeders (often foraging with sparrows) and are easily identified by their outer white tail margins when they fly off.
Slate-gray juncos are the common race of the eastern U.S., breeding in coniferous forests of Canada and the Appalachians. Oregon juncos are the most common race along the West Coast and gray-headed juncos represent the species in the foothills, mesas and mountain forests of the Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau. Finally, the white-winged junco, more restricted in range than the others, breeds in the Black Hills of South Dakota and winters through the southern Rockies.
All four races winter along the Colorado Front Range, three of which are regular visitors to our Littleton farm. Slate-gray and Oregon juncos are both common here but the gray-heads vary from year to year, depending upon conditions in the mountains; I have yet to see a white-winged junco on our property, which sits at 5400 feet, about five miles from the foothills. Though they are all dark-eyed juncos on the official count lists, I prefer to recognize their diversity. So, I'll keep looking for that elusive white-wing!
