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Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis

Although there are many different subspecies with considerable variety in coloring, the one I spot near Montreal comes very close to the original description as a grey bird with white belly. A sparrow appearing in small flocks picking up food from the ground.

Common Names

• Dark-eyed Junco (en)
• Junco ojioscuro (es)
• Junco ardoisé (fr)
• Winterammer (de)

How to Identify

Males have a dark grey head, grey body and white belly. The greyish color, the fact that the species appears usually in a flock and that it has the preference to feed on the ground, below the feeding station, provides me a strong hint. Further, being lucky to watch the bird close, the dark, almost black eyes confirms the identification.

Where & When to Spot

I watched them on several occasions in Park Mont Royal during late autumn before and after first snowfall. The observation done in Summer was in Newfoundland near the airport.