K-3 - DA*200 ƒ2.8 with HD DA 1.4 TC and F1.7 AF adapter Stacked
400 ISO, ƒ8, AV mode.

I've seen enough variation in the Juncos out there, I've been wondering if there was more than one species. Apparently one species with great colour vacations.

The slates....










And those who have a lot more brown and therefor look much more like the sparrows, that hang out with them this time of year.










I wondered if they were male and female, but can't find that anyone has much to say on the topic. Except Cornell says they have great colour variation, and Wiki says there are subspecies but doesn't provide identifying photos.

Is there a Dark Eyed Junco expert in the house?

[boriscleto]

K-3 - DA*200 ƒ2.8 with HD DA 1.4 TC and F1.7 AF adapter Stacked
400 ISO, ƒ8, AV mode.

I've seen enough variation in the Juncos out there, I've been wondering if there was more than one species. Apparently one species with great colour vacations.

The slates....










And those who have a lot more brown and therefor look much more like the sparrows, that hang out with them this time of year.










I wondered if they were male and female, but can't find that anyone has much to say on the topic. Except Cornell says they have great colour variation, and Wiki says there are subspecies but doesn't provide identifying photos.

Is there a Dark Eyed Junco expert in the house?

Cornell has photos of the five main groups. Here in the east they are Slate-colored, the variations are mainly in the west. But there is cross-breeding where the ranges touch. The female is slightly different than the male, at least in the slate-colored group. The males are darker than the females.

[csa]

These appear to be the "slate-colored" variation. They range from gray to gray-brown, with little contrast with the "hood" on the head.

One of the main varieties I have is the "Oregon".

[normhead]

These appear to be the "slate-colored" variation. They range from gray to gray-brown, with little contrast with the "hood" on the head.

One of the main varieties I have is the "Oregon".

Cool, something different. I always like something different.

---------- Post added 04-25-16 at 01:37 PM ----------

Cornell has photos of the five main groups. Here in the east they are Slate-colored, the variations are mainly in the west. But there is cross-breeding where the ranges touch. The female is slightly different than the male, at least in the slate-colored group. The males are darker than the females.

They want my money to see their pictures. Not fair, they can see mine for free.

[Lowell Goudge]

Norm

There are many officially recognized variants that I know about,

The slate is most common, there are also red backed, grey headed, Oregon , white winged, pink sided, these are considered regional variants according to sibley's The slate is the only one throughout the entire region, Oregon is next Most wide spread, then grey headed. The rest are really specifi their own micro regions.

I have shots of all 3 of the major variants. The slate are more common he in the east, I got the grey headed in the Grand Canyon, and the Oregon on the Californian coast

[normhead]

Interesting... so these are all Slates?

[boriscleto]

They want my money to see their pictures. Not fair, they can see mine for free.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco/id

It never asks me for money. But that may be because of AdBlock and Ghostery

[pete-tarmigan]

K-3 - DA*200 ƒ2.8 with HD DA 1.4 TC and F1.7 AF adapter Stacked
400 ISO, ƒ8, AV mode.

I wondered if they were male and female, but can't find that anyone has much to say on the topic. Except Cornell says they have great colour variation, and Wiki says there are subspecies but doesn't provide identifying photos.

Is there a Dark Eyed Junco expert in the house?

You cross-posted this to another thread. I didn't realize that a parallel discussion was going on in this thread.

The brownish ones are immature birds, i.e., those who have already undergone the Post-Juvenal moult at the end of summer and are therefore no longer juveniles, but have not moulted into First Alternate plumage and therefore not adults yet. I think they moult into First Alternate plumage around this time of year into breeding plumage but I don't have Rising's and Beadle's identification guide to North American sparrows or Pyle et al.'s identification guide to North American passerines here in the office to confirm that. I can't remember if this species has delayed plumage maturation, i.e., don't moult into Definitive Alternate plumage until their second spring.


A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada (Poyser Natural History), 1996, by James D. Rising (Author), David Beadle (Illustrator), Academic Press.


Identification Guide to North American Passerines: A Compendium of Information on Identifying, Aging, and Sexing Passerines in the Hand,1987, by Peter Pyle (Author), Steve Howell (Author), et al., Slate Creek Press.

Edit: I looked it up. Dark-eyed Junco has a partial Pre-Alternate moult in February to April, and attains its Definitive Alternate (adult breeding) plumage after its first winter. So, last year's fledglings get their adult breeding plumage right after their first winter.


---------- Post added 25th Apr 2016 at 16:59 ----------

These appear to be the "slate-colored" variation. They range from gray to gray-brown, with little contrast with the "hood" on the head.

One of the main varieties I have is the "Oregon".

This photo is the pink-sided race (Junco hyemalis mearnsi), not Oregon (Junco hyemalis thurberi), which is substantially darker.

[normhead]

Interesting stuff....

[pete-tarmigan]

Norm

There are many officially recognized variants that I know about,

The slate is most common, there are also red backed, grey headed, Oregon , white winged, pink sided, these are considered regional variants according to sibley's The slate is the only one throughout the entire region, Oregon is next Most wide spread, then grey headed. The rest are really specifi their own micro regions.

I have shots of all 3 of the major variants. The slate are more common he in the east, I got the grey headed in the Grand Canyon, and the Oregon on the Californian coast

Several species of junco were lumped into Dark-eyed Junco. Those former full species are now considered to be subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis).

The nominate race, Slate-colored (J. h. hyemalis), breeds in the boreal forest east of the Rockies

The pink-sided race (J. h. mearnis) breeds in the central Rockies and foothills outliers such as Cypress Hills and Bearpaw Mountains and was formerly a subspecies of a former full species (Oregon Junco).

The Oregon race (J. h. thurberi) breeds to west of pink-sided.

The White-winged race (J. h. aikeni) breeds in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The Red-backed race (J. h. dorsalis) breeds in Arizona and New Mexico.

The Gray-headed race (J. h. caniceps), which also has a red back, breeds in the southern Rockies.

Another junco very similar to the red-backed and gray-headed, the Yellow-eyed Junco (J. phaeonotus) breeds in Old Mexico and extreme southeast Arizona.

[csa]

This photo is the pink-sided race (Junco hyemalis mearnsi), not Oregon (Junco hyemalis thurberi), which is substantially darker.

Thank you! The Pink-sided does not appear in my Sibley Field Guide, so am very happy to know the correct ID.

[pete-tarmigan]

Thank you! The Pink-sided does not appear in my Sibley Field Guide, so am very happy to know the correct ID.

Pink-sided appears in my Sibley guide for all of North America (first edition, page 500). It appears on page 389 of Sibley's Eastern North America guide. I don't have the 2nd edition of the North America guide or the Western North America guides with me, but I'm sure it appears in both of those.

In any event, if you live in Montana, you are firmly within the nesting range of pink-sided.

[csa]

Pink-sided appears in my Sibley guide for all of North America (first edition, page 500). It appears on page 389 of Sibley's Eastern North America guide. I don't have the 2nd edition of the North America guide or the Western North America guides with me, but I'm sure it appears in both of those.

In any event, if you live in Montana, you are firmly within the nesting range of pink-sided.

My error, it does appear in my new Sibley's Western North American guide. and yes, I live in Montana!

[normhead]

Sibley is giving a lecture at Presque'ile Provincial Park. I found out too late.

Festival of the Birds - Presque Isle Audubon

[pete-tarmigan]

Sibley is giving a lecture at Presque'ile Provincial Park. I found out too late.

Festival of the Birds - Presque Isle Audubon

That's happening at Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania, on the south side of Lake Erie, not Presqu'ile Provincial Park on the north side of Lake Ontario (I lived in southern Ontario for 23 years). It would have been a bit too much driving for it to be worthwhile for you (an additional 6 hours one way).

The tip-off was "Audubon" (that, and the anglicised spelling of Presqu'ile). I don't think there are any societies named after Audubon in Canada any longer. The Canadian Audubon Society changed its name to the Canadian Nature Federation a few decades ago.