I love Juncos! We have the Oregon variant, with brownish bodies and little black hoods. They live in my area year round.
I’ve got between 10 and 20 hopping around under my bird feeders every morning. They’re the same colors as the leaves, and their activity makes it look like the leaves have gotten up to dance around. I read recently that the white in their tail feathers is flashed as a sign of aggression. Suburban juncos seem to have evolved to have less white in their tail feathers. It’s suggested this is because of closer living conditions and the need to coexist for survival in areas with denser human populations.
Love the notion of the birds just “hopping over the earth, getting on with the business of life”. That many animals are probably experiencing this moment as a curious pattern change, absent all its weird rancor, brings me some peace.
A few dark eyed juncos at my feeder in the snow today, an hour southwest of Toronto. They are so cute; I love their shape and ombré pattern!
Yay!
I love Juncos! We have the Oregon variant, with brownish bodies and little black hoods. They live in my area year round.
I’ve got between 10 and 20 hopping around under my bird feeders every morning. They’re the same colors as the leaves, and their activity makes it look like the leaves have gotten up to dance around. I read recently that the white in their tail feathers is flashed as a sign of aggression. Suburban juncos seem to have evolved to have less white in their tail feathers. It’s suggested this is because of closer living conditions and the need to coexist for survival in areas with denser human populations.
Here's a good article my friend Alex sent, about juncos learning to live around college campuses in California, and their adaptations: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/how-juncos-changed-their-migration-behavior-and-plumage-in-a-matter-of-decades/
So interesting about the tail feathers, thanks for this Susan!
Love the notion of the birds just “hopping over the earth, getting on with the business of life”. That many animals are probably experiencing this moment as a curious pattern change, absent all its weird rancor, brings me some peace.
P.S. Thanks for the shoutout :) 💛
Agreed, I'm sure the animals have noticed, it's interesting to think about from their point of view. Thanks again Jake :)