[obol] [OBOL] grey headed junco

[Tom Crabtree]

> Linda Hendrix wrote:  I have a grey headed, dark-eyed junco in my yard.  I
believe it's the pink sided. Have never had one before that I've spotted in
my yard.  How rare are they here?



 

Pure Pink-sided Juncos are very rare in Oregon.  More likely is that the
bird is a "Cassiar Junco."  This refers to a type of Junco that is
essentially an integrade between an Oregon and a Slate-colored Junco.  They
have gray heads, but don't have the dark lores or the bright pink sides.
These birds breed in northern British Columbia, Southern Yukon and parts of
Western Alberta.  Depending on your source, they are either a subspecies of
Dark-eyed Junco, or represent hybrids of "Oregon" and "Slate-coloreds."
These are fairly common in Oregon and Washington.  These "Cassiar Juncos"
are one of the main reasons the whole Junco complex was lumped back in the
80s.  

 

Understand that the Junco complex is just that-complex.  It has caused
considerable debate among the experts for years.  They make the Galapagos
Finches seem stable and clear cut.  In some birds their parentage cannot be
adequately determined.  Some experts say there is one species of Junco
(there is no rationale for separating Yellow-eyed and "Red-backed" Dark-eyed
Juncos) while others say there are six or even seven species.  We are at one
point along the evolutionary parade and stating what is a "species" or a
"subspecies" or a "form" is a lot more difficult for some birds than it is
for others.  Wait 200 years and things should clarify. . . .

 

Tom Crabtree, waxing philosophical in Bend, OR 

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