Not an Ordinary Sparrow

How well do we know our neighbors? This is not a reference to humans. How well do you know your bird neighbors? Are you too busy? Consider this suggestion. Read this article…then take 10 minutes for a walk around the inside of your house. Go to every window. Gaze outside for at least 3 minutes at each window. Look for the bird which is the subject this blog.

Begin your search on the ground…look on your lawn.

We can call it the North American “twice each year bird.” In my opinion they are a bird neighbor to know. It may be the most abundant bird in North America…it is estimated there is a global population of 630 million birds. That number includes all species of this bird. Dark-Eyed Juncos are sparrows. And it may surprise you to know that Juncos may be the most abundant North American birds.  We really can call them the “Twice a Year Bird.” That’s because Dark Eyed Juncos live in Canadian forests during the spring and summer nesting season. They appear in backyards and field in the United States in the spring and fall during migration…and your right-its twice a year.

You can’t miss the Male Dark-Eyed Junco…Dark on top, light on the bottom…a little half Penguin!

During nesting season, it is possible to find Juncos (we’ll shorten their name from now on) at elevations as high as 11,000 feet. Two miles above sea level…it’s no debate, they are certainly adaptable. Their choice of location is determined by the presence of forests, which they favor for nesting. Juncos are often found in coniferous forests including pine, Douglas-fir, spruce, and fir, but also in deciduous forests such as aspen, cottonwood, oak, and maple. It should not surprise either of us that Junco flight is very agile as it can maneuver through the tangled limbs, trunks and branches found in every forest. If we need further proof of the adaptability these little sparrow family birds possess, all we need do is consider the great variety of habitat they live in during the rest of the year…fall and winter. They can be found in widely diverse habitats including open woodlands, fields, roadsides, parks, and gardens. Is adaptability a sign of a skillful bird or an ingenious Creator?

This male has his eye on the camera…maybe. More likely it is checking the sky for the predator which could shorten its life.

How well do you know your neighbor? Junco nesting time starts with migration in spring. As the weather turns less winter-like in the northern part of Junco turf, these dark colored sparrows begin the north bound trip. Juncos arrive in our backyard in late winter…actually one of the early signs of spring for us. Within weeks all Juncos have departed for the pine forest areas found throughout Canada. Juncos may easily claim two citizenships.

On the northbound trip, the Juncos feed beneath our bird feeder…they repeat the behavior in the fall like this female is doing.

Before arrival in the pine forests of the country with a red Maple leaf on its flag, Juncos have found a mate. The male will claim a territory of two to three acres and will defend it vigorously while his mate builds the nest. She does this alone placing the nest on the ground or in a low branch…in 3-7 days. The male will continue to defend their chosen territory through out the nesting season. The pair will raise in good conditions two clutches (we humans say families-but they are birds) of young with 3-5 eggs in each nesting. Do the math, no wonder Juncos are so numerous!

There is something remarkable about the Junco pair during nesting season. They are quite inseparable. They are rarely more than fifty feet away from each other. That’s a partnership!

The female Junco may have laid up to 10 eggs this past summer and fed as many as 10 young Juncos to fledge and fly from the nest. It is a major accomplishment-which never made a headline-anywhere…but Creator Words.

The Junco pair feed their young a steady diet of insects while the birds are in the nest. Of course, the adults eat insects during nesting season. Insects are extremely plentiful, and high in protein. Yet, during the remainder of the year, Juncos are primarily seed-eaters, with seeds of chickweed, buckwheat, lamb’s quarters, sorrel, and others making up about 75% of their year-round diet. I have watched the Juncos in migration stop to feed at our backyard bird feeder. My eye witness experience with Juncos tells me they will eat cracked corn with gusto.

This male was feeding on cracked corn with 25-40 other Juncos.

Since they feed in a flock, there is a great deal of movement. It is a delight to watch them hop from spot to spot…call it the “Junco jump” if you like. Did you know that Juncos become highly social after nesting season? See one? Wait, there are 30-50 more nearby. As you watch you will be startled at first when the entire flock bursts off the ground to fly to nearby trees. This is not a predictable behavior. They periodically do this to disable the attempted attacks of predatory birds like the Cooper and Sharp-shinned hawks. What triggers a flight to the trees? Is there one Junco who leads? Biologists do not know.

Really, you should get to know your neighbors. Juncos are easy to identify once you try. Their lives will be an encouragement to you. Do you need an example of something tiny but tough? A typical Junco is just five to six and a half inches long and weighs between one half and nine tenths of an ounce. Yet twice a year Juncos make a migratory move. Into Canada as spring arrives, then back into the United States as winter approaches. Just to provide both of us with an extreme example of the toughness of a Junco, the distance from Austin, Texas-a potential winter habitat, to a potential spring habitat, Yellowknife, Canada is over 3,000 miles. It is possible…and truly amazing.

Seeds in fall and winter, insects in spring and summer…a balanced diet.

How well do you know your bird neighbors? Take time to learn to identify this Twice a Year neighbor, the Dark-Eyed Junco.

Now for the final truth: I have an agenda for you. The Junco is a sparrow. We have mentioned it more than once already. The Junco is a very numerous sparrow in North America. What is the value of one Junco? If they were worth their weight in gold, humans would be greedily hoarding them. Here is my agenda in print: the Junco may not have any monetary value-but this: seeing a Junco reminds us of the value God places on you and me. Look at a Junco-know God loves you.

There is great comfort in the words of Jesus. Read them. Then attempt to find your first Junco. God knows how many hairs are on your head. You and I are of great value to Him…the One who made the Dark-Eyed Junco. Look at the “sparrows.” They remind us of the eternal great love of God. These are the words of Jesus:

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7

How can we not find delight in these little sparrows of God?