junco

American  

[juhng-koh] / ˈdʒʌŋ koʊ /

noun

plural

juncos

1. any of several small North American finches of the genus Junco.

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junco British  

/ ˈdʒʌŋkəʊ /

noun

1. any North American bunting of the genus Junco, having a greyish plumage with white outer tail feathers

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Etymology

Origin of junco

1700–10; < Spanish: rush, bird found in rush beds < Latin juncus rush

Example Sentences

They also recognized acorn woodpeckers, a California towhee, dozens of turkey vultures circling overhead, a dark-eyed junco, a mockingbird, an Anna’s hummingbird and a black phoebe.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2023

This oil contains odorous compounds— in the case of the dark-eyed junco, it smells like leaf litter and soil.

From Scientific American • Mar. 24, 2022

For example, the house finch almost always dominates the purple finch, and the purple finch almost always dominates the dark-eyed junco, but when house finch and junco face off directly, the junco often dominates.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2021

Some 90% of the total loss came from just 12 bird families and 19 widespread bird species such as the dark-eyed junco, common grackle and house sparrows.

From Reuters • Sep. 19, 2019

And the young junco shows, in its striped appearance of breast and back, and the20 lateral white quills in the tail, its kinship to the grass finch or vesper sparrow.

From Under the Maples by Burroughs, John