This weeks birds, Pine Siskins (PISI) and Dark-eyed Juncos (DEJU), are both abundant on the Kelly Campus right now. Pine Siskins are abundant year round but Dark-eyed Juncos are short distance migrants that recently returned in force.
Pine Siskins are finches that nest in a cup/saucer on the outer limbs of pine trees. Their diet is dominated by seeds of deciduous and conifer trees. Siskins are very social year round frequently forming flocks of over a hundred birds during the fall, winter, and spring. Although most songbirds of their size are highly territorial during the breeding season, Pine Siskins are semi-colonial therefore there can be multiple nests in a single tree. Pine Siskins are frequently lumped into the birds described as LBJs (little brown jobs), a pejorative description of small birds that can be difficult for beginners to identify. They are streaked with brown over their whole body but during the breeding season they will have a few small patches of bright yellow on their wings and tail.
Dark-eyed Juncos were at one time split into five different species (Oregon Junco, Slate-colored Junco, White-winged Junco, Grey-headed Junco, and Pink-sided Junco) but are now considered one species with 5 distinctly different subspecies. The Pink-sided race is the most common species locally. Despite the great variation in plumage, Dark-eyed Juncos are rarely mistaken for other sparrows. The absolute best field mark are the white outer tail feathers that are conspicuous in flight and especially when slowing down to land. Additionally, Juncos will have a dark “hood” and a white belly. They are short distance migrants and they nest in open cup nests on the ground. Their diet consists of seeds during the non-breeding season but includes seeds and a number of arthropods during the breeding season; nestlings are fed a 100% arthropod diet.
Photo credits
http://pie.midco.net/dougback/miscphotos/Pine_siskin5.jpg
