Yellow-eyed Junco

Identification

The yellow-eyed junco is a small sparrow, approximately 16 cm (6.3 in) long, instantly recognizable by its bright yellow iris—the feature that gives the species its common name. This distinctive eye color, combined with a blackish maxilla and pale yellow mandible, makes identification straightforward even at a distance. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, though not dramatically so.

Adult males of the nominate subspecies display a medium gray head with black lores and a black "mask" around the eye, pale gray throat with an olive tinge, and a distinctive rufous lower back and scapulars that extend onto the closed wing. The wings show dusky flight feathers with white or pale edges, and the tail is mostly dark gray-brown with white on the outermost feathers. Females are similar but duller overall, with an olive cast to the crown and darker flanks. Four subspecies occur across the range, varying in the intensity of gray on the head and the extent of rufous on the back and tail.