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Snowbird; Junco — Part 2
Adult male--Dark slate colour with slight brownish tinge, except the lower part of breast and belly, which, together with the outer tail feathers, is white.
Adult female--Is less decided and lighter in colour. Length--6.27. "Young in first plumage resemble the adults, but have the upper parts, throat, and breast streaked with black." (Chapman.)
Breeding Range--The more northern parts of New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, southward along the Alleghanies to Virginia.
The nest may be found among the roots of a fallen tree, in crevices of banks, or in bushes, but usually it is on the ground in a tangle of undergrowth. It is built of dry grass and moss, well lined with fine grass and hair. The eggs are greenish or bluish white with fine spots and sometimes blotches of reddish purple-brown and lilac, chiefly in a wreath round the larger end. Size--.76 x .56. See Fig. 14, Plate C.
Most of us have met this quiet-coloured bird, but only when nearly all of our summer birds have gone to warmer climes; he then frequents the vicinity of dwellings, spending most of his time either on the roadside or in places where he can find the seeds that form his winter food. During the breeding season few of us are fortunate enough to see him, as he betakes himself to higher altitudes or to the more northern parts of New England. In Ontario the Snowbird is said to begin nesting "the first week of May, and nests with eggs are found as late as August." Minot says that in the White Mountains they lay their eggs in June.