There is no snow in the forecast, but that won’t prevent me from sharing winter Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco images, which are also known as snow birds.

Male Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco in winter, Sebastian County, ArkansasMale Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco in winter – Canon R7, f8, 1/200, ISO 1250, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light

These Slate-colored Dark-eyed Juncos were photographed three days ago when the light was beautiful. It was fairly cold that morning, and the birds were coming to the feeders frequently and eating voraciously.

I’ve always had a fondness for Dark-eyed Juncos. My mother and I used to call each other when they first showed up at our feeders in Virginia. They frequently appeared a few days before the first snowfall of the season arrived. I miss those calls.

In Arkansas, the juncos showed up weeks ago, and they probably still have a long wait before it actually snows here.

This male Dark-eyed Junco provided me with a lovely series of photos as he perched on the driftwood near the seed feeder. In my opinion, he is one handsome bird. He certainly caught my attention.

Female Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco in winter, Sebastian County, ArkansasFemale Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco in winter – Canon R7, f8, 1/1250, ISO 500, Canon 100-400mm at 360mm, natural light

Later in the morning, when the light was a bit brighter, this female Dark-eyed Junco flew in and posed beautifully, much to my delight.

Note that she has lighter, more brownish-gray flanks compared to the darker flanks of the male shown above. That feature, along with others, can help determine the gender of Slate-colored Dark-eyed Juncos.

Males have a darker, charcoal-gray coloration on their head, chest, back, and wings, whereas females are generally more brownish-gray and appear “washed-out.” Both sexes have white bellies, but the contrast between the belly and the rest of the body is more pronounced in males.

I truly hope to have opportunities to photograph juncos in the snow here in Arkansas. Only time will tell.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to view more of my Dark-eyed Junco photos plus facts and information about this species.