Dark-eyed juncos are attracted to our Littleton, Colorado, farm, with its naturalized habitat and numerous shrub lines; they are especially drawn to a cluster of juniper shrubs in front of the farmhouse which provide dense cover. Each winter, at least 25-30 individuals winter here, comprised primarily of slate-gray, Oregon and gray-headed subspecies.
The various subspecies are identical in their size and behavior, differing only in the coloration of their plumage. Indeed, they feed in large, mixed flocks, scouring the ground for seed (grass, weed or store-bought) in peaceful coexistence. The only "conflicts" among these small, peaceful birds arise between males of the same subspecies when early spring hormones trigger territorial behavior.
We humans would do well to mimic the behavior of these juncos, blind to superficial differences and cooperative in their efforts to find shelter and food and to evade predators. Fortunately, they are not subject to the effects of a large, complex brain which makes us susceptible to discrimination, intolerance, racism, mysticism and other forms of deranged thought or destructive behavior.
The various subspecies are identical in their size and behavior, differing only in the coloration of their plumage. Indeed, they feed in large, mixed flocks, scouring the ground for seed (grass, weed or store-bought) in peaceful coexistence. The only "conflicts" among these small, peaceful birds arise between males of the same subspecies when early spring hormones trigger territorial behavior.
We humans would do well to mimic the behavior of these juncos, blind to superficial differences and cooperative in their efforts to find shelter and food and to evade predators. Fortunately, they are not subject to the effects of a large, complex brain which makes us susceptible to discrimination, intolerance, racism, mysticism and other forms of deranged thought or destructive behavior.
