Bird
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Lives in Virginia all year and nests here. Found in all 133 counties and cities, across 21 habitats.
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 133 counties and cities
- Habitats
- 21
At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 133 counties and cities
- Habitats
- 21
- Habitat models
- Summer, Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in Virginia 21
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 21
Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits
Granite and other acidic rock outcrops
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.
Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone
Open, thin-soil openings and rock on limestone, dolomite or other lime-rich rock, including cedar glades.
Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.
Treeless grassy or shrubby summits and ridges in the high mountains.
Wet, open, peaty mountain wetlands fed by seepage, often with sphagnum moss.
High mountain forests of beech, yellow birch and sugar maple, including boulderfield forests.
Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.
Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.
Steep, sun-baked slopes of loose shale with sparse oaks and Virginia pine and their own endemic wildflowers. Linked only where the source names shale barrens; calcareous shale stays with the limestone glades.
Tree plantations and managed pine
Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.
Other habitats in its models (90)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Virginia. Those recorded in Virginia first, the rest by region.
In Virginia 3
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland Winter.
- North-Central Appalachian Circumneutral Cliff and Talus Summer and winter.
- Southern Piedmont Glade and Barrens Summer and winter.
Elsewhere in the South (30)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Wet Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Winter.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Winter.
- Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens Summer and winter.
- Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens Summer and winter.
- Crosstimbers Oak Forest and Woodland Winter.
- Cumberland Riverscour Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet Prairie Winter.
- East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland Winter.
- Edwards Plateau Limestone Savanna and Woodland Summer and winter.
- Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Winter.
- Nashville Basin Limestone Glade Winter.
- Northern Crowley's Ridge Sand Forest Winter.
- Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Winter.
- Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Bluestem Woodland Winter.
- South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods Winter.
- Southern Appalachian Granitic Dome Winter.
- Southern Appalachian Rocky Summit Summer and winter.
- Southern Interior Acid Cliff Summer and winter.
- Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Catahoula Barrens Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Nepheline Syenite Glade Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Nonriverine Wet Hardwood Flatwoods Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Flatwoods Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Winter.
- Western Great Plains Mesquite Woodland and Shrubland Winter.
Northeast (3)
- Acadian Low-Elevation Spruce-Fir-Hardwood Forest Summer.
- Central Appalachian Alkaline Glade and Woodland Summer and winter.
- North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods Winter.
Midwest (11)
- Central Interior Acidic Cliff and Talus Summer and winter.
- Central Interior Calcareous Cliff and Talus Summer and winter.
- Central Mixedgrass Prairie Summer.
- North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest Summer.
- North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland Summer.
- North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland Summer.
- North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest Summer.
- North-Central Interior Oak Savanna Summer and winter.
- North-Central Interior Sand and Gravel Tallgrass Prairie Summer.
- North-Central Oak Barrens Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Wooded Draw and Ravine Winter.
Land cover and other classes (43)
- Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Pine Modifier Summer.
- Arkansas Valley Prairie and Woodland Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-Line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Winter.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
- Developed, Low Intensity Winter.
- Developed, Medium Intensity Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Plain Dry Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Prairie and Woodland Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest - Offsite Pine Modifier Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Winter.
- Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer.
- Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Summer and winter.
- Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Winter.
- Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
- Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Winter.
- Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Shrub Summer and winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Treed Summer.
- Modified/Managed Southern Tall Grassland Winter.
- Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter.
- Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Virginia/Pitch Pine Modifier Summer and winter.
- Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest-Hardwood Modifier Summer.
- Recently Burned Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Forest Summer and winter.
- Recently Burned Grassland Summer.
- Recently Burned Shrubland Summer and winter.
- Recently Logged Areas Summer and winter.
- Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Loblolly Pine Modifier Summer.
- Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer.
- Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-Heath Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer.
- Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest - Pine modifier Summer.
Seasons in Virginia
- Year-round: nests here, in 59 of 133 counties and cities.
- Winter: does not nest here, in 93 of 133 counties and cities.
Food plants
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Plants matched by genus.
Native plants in these genera 246
- Erect KnotweedPolygonum erectum
- Pleatleaf KnotweedPolygonum tenue
- Seabeach KnotweedPolygonum glaucum
- Redroot AmaranthAmaranthus retroflexus
- Saltmarsh Water-hempAmaranthus cannabinus
- Seabeach AmaranthAmaranthus pumilus
- Smooth PigweedAmaranthus hybridus
- Common RagweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
- Giant RagweedAmbrosia trifida
- Appalachian Woodland SedgeCarex austrolucorum
- Awned SedgeCarex atherodes
- Bottlebrush SedgeCarex hystericina
- Carex bromoides subsp. bromoidesCarex bromoides subsp. bromoides
- Carex venusta var. venustaCarex venusta var. venusta
- Coupled SedgeCarex copulata
- Crawes SedgeCarex crawei
- Davis SedgeCarex davisii
- Dioecious SedgeCarex sterilis
- False Summer SedgeCarex aestivaliformis
- Inland SedgeCarex interior
- Juniper SedgeCarex juniperorum
- Lakebank SedgeCarex lacustris
- Necklace Spike SedgeCarex ormostachya
- Prairie SedgeCarex prairea
Plant genera in its diet records (26)
- Polygonum Seeds. 2 diet records. 3 native plants in Virginia
- Amaranthus Seeds. 1 diet record. 4 native plants in Virginia
- Ambrosia Seeds. 1 diet record. 2 native plants in Virginia
- Anthemis Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Avena Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Brassica Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Calandrinia Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Carex Seeds. 1 diet record. 170 native plants in Virginia
- Centaurea Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Claytonia Seeds. 1 diet record. 2 native plants in Virginia
- Erodium Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Geranium Seeds. 1 diet record. 3 native plants in Virginia
- Lupinus Seeds. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in Virginia
- Madia Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Panicum Seeds. 1 diet record. 7 native plants in Virginia
- Phleum Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Portulaca Seeds. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in Virginia
- Rumex Seeds. 1 diet record. 2 native plants in Virginia
- Silene Seeds. 1 diet record. 6 native plants in Virginia
- Solanum Seeds. 1 diet record. 2 native plants in Virginia
- Sonchus Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Spergula Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Virginia
- Stellaria Seeds. 1 diet record. 4 native plants in Virginia
- Toxicodendron Seeds. 1 diet record. 3 native plants in Virginia
- Trifolium Seeds. 1 diet record. 3 native plants in Virginia
- Viola Seeds. 1 diet record. 33 native plants in Virginia
Also found in its main habitats
Its main habitats in Virginia, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.
Dark-eyed Junco uses many habitats in Virginia; these are its 3 most characteristic.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Birds 97
- Cape May WarblerDendroica tigrina
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachus
- Upland SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Hoary RedpollCarduelis hornemanni
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- House FinchCarpodacus mexicanus
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
Plants 1283
- Pussy WillowSalix discolor
- Crooked-stem AsterSymphyotrichum prenanthoides
- Long Stalk AsterSymphyotrichum dumosum var. dumosum
- Canada LettuceLactuca canadensis
- Common HorseweedErigeron canadensis
- Annual FleabaneErigeron annuus
- Hairy FleabaneErigeron bonariensis
- Dog-fennelEupatorium capillifolium
- Carolina Crane's-billGeranium carolinianum
- Common Evening-primroseOenothera biennis
- Cutleaf Evening-primroseOenothera laciniata
- Northern Evening-primroseOenothera parviflora
Granite and other acidic rock outcrops
Birds 25
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Prairie WarblerDendroica discolor
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianus
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopus
- Chuck-will's-widowCaprimulgus carolinensis
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
Plants 52
- Paper Birch; Canoe BirchBetula papyrifera
- Elf OrpineDiamorpha smallii
- Narrowleaf BluecurlsTrichostema setaceum
- Shortpod DrabaAbdra brachycarpa
- Rock HarlequinCapnoides sempervirens
- Bradley's SpleenwortAsplenium bradleyi
- Lobed SpleenwortAsplenium pinnatifidum
- Appalachian SandwortGeocarpon glabrum
- Greenland SandwortGeocarpon groenlandicum
- Appalachian Cliff FernWoodsia appalachiana
- Appalachian Shoestring FernVittaria appalachiana
- Hairy LipfernMyriopteris lanosa
Forest edges and thickets
Birds 47
- Hoary RedpollCarduelis hornemanni
- House FinchCarpodacus mexicanus
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Wilson's WarblerWilsonia pusilla
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Yellow-throated WarblerDendroica dominica
- Prairie WarblerDendroica discolor
- Black-throated Blue WarblerDendroica caerulescens
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianus
Plants 244
- Bristly BlackberryRubus setosus
- Tall LarkspurDelphinium exaltatum
- Canada PlumPrunus nigra
- ChokecherryPrunus virginiana var. virginiana
- Fire CherryPrunus pensylvanica
- Silky DogwoodSwida obliqua
- Giant SunflowerHelianthus giganteus
- Gray DogwoodSwida racemosa
- Southern DewberryRubus trivialis
- Buffalo CloverTrifolium reflexum
- Cutleaf GoldenrodSolidago arguta
- Hairy GoldenrodSolidago hispida var. hispida
Sources
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS GAP winter habitat model for Dark-eyed Junco Elevation up to 2,500 m
- USGS Gap Analysis Project range maps (2001), modeled by watershed; migratory gives no dates
- NatureServe Explorer (CC BY 4.0), habitat names
- US Census TIGER/Line counties
- Names follow the USGS Gap Analysis Project (2001)
- Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab) (CC0 1.0), diet records by plant genus