I decided to highlight a critter every day from my yard to highlight the organisms that bless me with their presence since I started planting native flora. I realize this will be a significant undertaking, and I am already behind schedule. I am really looking forward to it!
I’m kicking off with birds that are my constant companions in the garden now, dark-eyed juncos (Junco hymenalis).
The dark-eyed junco is a variable species that is widely distributed in the mainland U.S., Alaska, and Canada. They can be 5″ to 7″ long. Around my house, the females resemble the bird above, and the males resemble the one below.
The birds appear completely different in other areas of their range, with 14 to 15 subspecies described, including morphs in the following groups: slate-colored, white-winged, brown-backed, pink-sided, gray-headed, and red-backed. Isn’t evolution amazing!
These juncos forage on the ground, and in winter can be seen foraging in groups. Their diet is made up of seeds and insects, with insects dominating during the breeding season and as the diet for young birds. Berries are also occasionally on the menu.
While they normally nest in a 4″ diameter cup-like nest on the ground, the nests can be found low in trees, or in various out-of-the-way places (and sometimes very in-the-way places) around homes and yards, like in window boxes and hanging baskets. The eggs can vary in appearance, but the local ones appear mostly white with some dark speckles. They hatch in 12-13 days. Baby birds fledge in less than two weeks. Pairs will produce multiple broods each year. I had a pair I named June and Pete (my parents’ names) that bred in our yard last spring/summer and had at least three broods.
The reason I wanted to honor these birds as my first Critter-A-Day post is that they are doing so well in my yard lately. I see them all the time and often have multiple pairs nesting around the property during the spring/summer. Several times, they’ve made nests in my greenhouse in hanging baskets and in the neighbor’s window boxes. They also nested right on the ground in the native plant garden last year. They bring a lot of interest and cheer to the garden, always busy and always watching. They are handsome birds, too, dressed in Seattle colors, but making them somehow very showy.
Some juncos migrate south, or down mountains, and some do not. It depends on the weather and can vary from year to year. I’m grateful they seem to stick around my yard pretty much all the time!
The impacts of urbanization have been studied in a population of dark-eyed juncos in California, and the results are fascinating. The urban populations, over what appears to have been just 20-30 generations, have developed a higher tolerance for heavy metals. Heavy metals are a dangerous obstacle for city birds, so this genetic tolerance allows the birds to overcome this danger.
In addition, this group of juncos has a gene that supports higher-pitched calls. This trait is beneficial in city environments with low-frequency urban noises that drown out lower-pitched bird calls.
I hope you all will look around for these unassuming little birds that are adapting to our neighborhoods and succeeding in our gardens. Plant some native shrubs for them to perch in, and some small trees from which they can launch their trilling songs. And most of all, leave the garden debris on the ground because the insects they need are hiding there, and watching these efficient little hunters find them is an unmatched joy.
