FAMILY FringillidcB 



ington, Oregon and California; while the 

 Shufeldt junco is a summer bird in Wash- 

 ington and Oregon and a winter bird in Cali- 

 fornia and the southwest to Mexico. The 

 Thurber junco breeds in southern Oregon and 

 south through California, summering in the 

 mountains and wintering in the valleys. The 

 three species are so much alike that it is hard 

 to tell them apart without a close examina- 

 tion of the skins. 



The junco is so abundant and conspicuous, 

 with its blackish head and neck, flesh-colored 

 bill, and a flash of its white outer tail feathers 

 when it flies, that it may be easily identified 

 by these points alone. It may be found 

 everywhere, at all seasons, from sea level to 

 high mountains, spending the breeding season 

 in the hills and mountains and the winters in 

 the valleys, where it swarms over the stubble- 

 fields and pastures, and along the roads 

 picking up weed seeds and scattered grain. 

 Its metallic chip can be heard on every hand 

 as it darts from the roadside at one's ap- 

 proach. 



The junco builds its nest on the ground in 

 the side of a bank or in an open field among 

 the weeds. The nest is a frail structure of 

 fine grass w ith a few bits of other soft material 

 for lining. 



