A Bird with an Identity

Throughout much of North America there is but one species of little sparrow known as a junco, that would be the Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), although granted its an extremely variable bird that might very well be a species complex.  But deep down in the south, in the Sky Islands of southeast Arizona and adjacent New Mexico, there lurks another species that puts an end to the dark-eyed monotony of the north.  This is the Yellow-eyed Junco, Junco phaeonotus, and this particular one is of great importance as evidenced by the colored bands on its legs.  Or, at least, I assume it's important to someone, somewhere, doing research on these little mountain birds.  In fact, a little web search indicates that at least one such study is using this type of banding in the region to research elevational movements of this species.


Photo taken on Mt. Lemmon, AZ.