Arriving in October and staying until April, the dark-eyed juncos,also know as snowbirds, are a common winter bird in southeastern Pennsylvania.Often seen in flocks of 20 to 30, they are ground feeders and like a variety of mixed seeds.

The male junco is a very nice slate gray color and the female is gray with some brown in the feathers. They have distinctive white feathers on each side of the tail that you see when they fly. The other notable marking is a white belly.

Juncos very abundant in this area and throughout the northeast. This winter, there has not been much snow so the birds have taken advantage of the natural food still available rather than coming to feeders. However, a five-inch snowfall this weekend brought in many of the birds to the feeding areas. They are certainly a nice distraction from the cold and snow.