Bird Guide

Dark-eyed Junco vs Yellow-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Dark-eyed Junco

Junco hyemalis

Small20 gForest

Adult dark-eyed juncos generally have gray heads, necks, and breasts, gray or brown backs and wings, and a white belly, but show a confusing amount of variation in plumage details. The white outer tail feathers flash distinctively in flight and while hopping on the ground. The bill is usually pale pinkish. Males tend to have darker, more conspicuous markings than females. The dark-eyed junco is 13 to 17.5 cm (5.1 to 6.9 in) long and has a wingspan of 18 to 25 cm (7.1 to 9.8 in). Body mass can vary from 18 to 30 g (0.63 to 1.06 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 6.6 to 9.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: steve · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: lwolfartist · CC BY 2.0
Yellow-eyed Junco (Junco phaeonotus)

Yellow-eyed Junco

Junco phaeonotus

Small20 gForest

The yellow-eyed junco is about 16 cm (6.3 in) long. Subspecies J. p. palliatus weigh 18 to 22 g (0.63 to 0.78 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic but not dramatically so. Adult males of the nominate subspecies J. p. phaeonotus have a mostly medium gray head with black lores, a black "mask" around the eye, and a paler gray chin and throat with an olive tinge. Their upper back is the same medium gray as their head, their lower back and scapulars are rufous, and their rump and uppertail coverts are olive-gray. Voice: Only male yellow-eyed juncos sing, with some variation by each individual. Their song typically has two or three parts with trills, and has been written as "a musical chip-chip-chip wheedle, wheedle che che che che che".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Diana Doyle · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: 666isMONEY ☮ & ♥ on Flickr · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Dark-eyed Junco and Yellow-eyed Junco.