Outdoor Ontario

Request for Information => Bird ID => Topic started by: cairnstone on December 05, 2014, 10:59:07 AM

Title: Very unusual junco.
Post by: cairnstone on December 05, 2014, 10:59:07 AM

Is this a very colourful Slate-coloured Junco with blue eyes? It was hanging around my backyard yesterday. I've never seen one quite like this.

(http://i59.tinypic.com/2ugo11u.jpg)

Title: Re: Very unusual junco.
Post by: Paul O'Toole on December 05, 2014, 06:27:33 PM

Here is a good link for IDing this species.

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birding/dark-eyed-junco/

Title: Re: Very unusual junco.
Post by: thouc on December 05, 2014, 06:35:18 PM

I guess you discovered a new species, the Blue-eyed Junco  :shock:

On the serious side, the body-colour falls within the range of Slate-coloured I think, and the eye-colour is probably a rare variant/mutation. I was able to find one other picture of a junco with blue eyes online.

/Thomas

Title: Re: Very unusual junco.
Post by: cairnstone on December 05, 2014, 11:29:42 PM

Thanks for the replies Paul and Thomas. I am a bit disappointed. I was hoping I had discovered a new subspecies...Sinatra-eyed Junco.

Title: Re: Very unusual junco.
Post by: Howieh on December 06, 2014, 12:13:39 PM

Quote from: "cairnstone"

Thanks for the replies Paul and Thomas. I am a bit disappointed. I was hoping I had discovered a new subspecies...Sinatra-eyed Junco.

I think I also had one in my back yard a few days ago, in fact I'm sure it's song sounded like "My Way"! :)

Title: Re: Very unusual junco.
Post by: Rotarran on December 06, 2014, 06:43:26 PM

Wow a blue-eyed Junco, that's really cool.

Title: Re: Very unusual junco.
Post by: Walter Fisher on December 08, 2014, 11:46:12 PM

Just a thought,

Would there have been something white or light blue to the back right of where you were standing when you took the shot?  It could just be a reflection in it's eye.  There seems to be the same colour blue on it's white breast/belly feathers directly below it's eye.  All other feathers are white in that area.

Walter :)

Title: Re: Very unusual junco.
Post by: Rotarran on December 09, 2014, 11:51:32 AM

Quote from: "Walter Fisher"

Just a thought,

Would there have been something white or light blue to the back right of where you were standing when you took the shot?  It could just be a reflection in it's eye.  There seems to be the same colour blue on it's white breast/belly feathers directly below it's eye.  All other feathers are white in that area.

Walter :)

That is an interesting hypothesis Walter.  But if that were the case, why would the bird's pupil still be black?

Title: Re: Very unusual junco.
Post by: cairnstone on December 09, 2014, 04:34:02 PM

I saw this junco the day after the picture I posted above. It most certainly has two blue eyes. I believe it is still around (I haven't had much time in daylight for feeder watching the last few days), but if it is still around I will snap another picture.

Title: Re: Very unusual junco.
Post by: Paul O'Toole on December 09, 2014, 05:34:36 PM

The eyes could actually be a light grey but with sunlight refracting of them cause it too look somewhat blue. Just a thought, not positive on this but sometime to think about.