Nearly everyone living up north knows that many birds evacuate before cold weather arrives. By late summer or early fall warblers, orioles, catbirds, house wrens and dozens of other species head for the South’s warmth. Many birds go as far as the tropics to escape the snow. Few people realize that some birds migrate south to winter in New England, the Lake States, and all across the Snowbelt. Including Iowa. Probably best known is the junco. Although abundant, juncos aren’t readily noticed. They lack the bright colors of cardinals or blue jays. Some refer to Juncos as “The Pilgrim Bird” because they arrive just ahead of Thanksgiving and sport slate-gray or brownish backs with a lighter colored belly. As they fly off a white stripe is visible on each outer side of their tail. Juncos summer and raise their young in the northern forests of Canada and Alaska. As cold approaches they head south but stop long before reaching a balmy climate. Instead they winter across northern parts of the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Subzero cold poses no problem for this hardy bird, which probably realizes that it’s warmer here than in the Yukon. Next April, just as spring arrives and the weather warms, they’ll take wing and return to their chilly breeding ground. Juncos are one of the most common winter yard birds. They rarely land at feeders and prefer gleaning tiny bits of seed on the ground. Juncos love millet, bits of sunflower seeds and finely cracked corn.
