Observational Highlight of the Week: Junco hyemalis

Observational Highlight #9: Junco hyemalis (Dark-eyed Junco)
Virginia Outdoors Foundation - Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve

© Michael J. W. Carr, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

Hello again everybody!

I hope everyone who got snow was able to get out and enjoy it while it lasted. Speaking of snow, this week's preserve highlight is colloquially known as the snowbird, the Dark-eyed Junco. If you reviewed our iNaturalist annual report you would have noticed that birds accounted for one of our least represented "common" taxon recorded here on The Preserve. To help encourage the growth of avian iNaturalist observations the next several highlights will cover bird species observed at the Preserve. So let's jump in!

Today we will be reviewing an observation made by your's truly, @mjwcarr, at our research outpost during the first round of snowfall the other week. Many of you are probably already familiar with our highlight, the Dark-eyed Junco, either as a seasonal visitor to your backyard birdfeeder or as the last bird you see before becoming your own version of a snowbird. That namesake comes from the seasonal immigration habits of the species. Traveling hundreds, to potentially thousands of miles from their breeding grounds in the Canadian tundra.

A remarkable feature of the dark-eyed juncos is their incredible diversity across North America. While still considered the same species, the Junco hyemalis includes 15 distinct forms. These forms are regional color variants that range from our local "slate-colored" dark-eyed junco to the flamboyant "pink-sided" dark-eyed junco of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Most of these forms occur in the western United States and Canada, Mexico, and several Central American countries - so don't worry about confusing the forms in our neck of the woods!

Keep an eye out for these guys near our south section trail entrance and parking lot!

ABOUT #BullRunMountainsNaturalPreserve
The Bull Run Mountains are the easternmost mountains in Virginia. Virginia Outdoors Foundation - Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve is approximately 2,350 acres that serve as a living laboratory that sits in the backyard of our nation’s capital. The preserve contains 10 different plant community types and a plethora of regionally uncommon and threatened plant and animal species. In 2002, this land was dedicated by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation as a natural area preserve to protect the unique ecosystems found here. As the owner and manager of the preserve, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation is committed to protecting the special ecosystem found here and sharing it with the public through managed access.

Follow us on Social Media!
Instagram: @bullrunmountains
Facebook: Virginia Outdoors Foundation (Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve)
Our website: VOF RESERVES: Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve
Meetup Events: Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve Guided Hikes Group

Posted on February 11, 2021 11:37 PM by mjwcarr