Attracting backyard birds is a fun and interesting hobby. I ‘ve had new visitors at my feeder recently, the Dark-eye Junco. These backyard birds are also known as “snow birds”. We had about 8 inches of snow, and they appeared on que. They are beautiful birds, a grayish black with a white belly. Some look almost coal black with a white belly. They prefer colder climates, which explains why they have suddenly appeared at my feeder now that it has snowed. Today, lets discuss how to attract Dark-eyed Junco to your backyard.
The Dark-eyed Junco visits backyard feeders in the winter, but breed in forests across Canada, the western U.S., and in the Appalachians. I recently added a tube feeder to my feeding station, my tree, because the platform feeder holds the snow. However, the Dark-eye Junco actually prefers the platform feeder. They are called snow birds because they love the snow. So, forging for seed buried under the snow in the platform feeder doesn’t seem to faze them.
They have interesting habits too. I’ve seen them lay in the snow covered platform feeder and just chill. Or, you will find them scouring the snow covered ground for dropped seed.