[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 15.5 in.]

This "Pacific" Western Scrub-Jay was photographed at Monterey, California. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: November 1981)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 15.5 in.]

This "Pacific" Western Scrub-Jay was photographed in a coastal woodland near Morro Bay, California. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: November 1997)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 15.5 in.]

This "Southwestern" Western Scrub-Jay was photographed in the Davis Mountains near Fort Davis, Texas. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1993)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 15.5 in.]

This "Rocky Mountain" Western Scrub-Jay was photographed at Spring Canyon, Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs, CO. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: April 23, 2009)

[Length 11.5 in. Wingspan 15.5 in.]

This "Rocky Mountain" Western Scrub-Jay stretching its wing was photographed at Spring Canyon, Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs, CO. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: April 23, 2009)

[Length 6.25 in. Wingspan 9.25 in.]

This "Gray-headed" Dark-eyed Juncoi was photographed at Davis Mountains State Park, Fort Davis, TX. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=405mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: December 17, 2009)

[Length 6.25 in. Wingspan 9.25 in.]

Except for the pink bill, white belly, and white outer tail feathers, the Dark-eyed Junco has a considerable amount of variation in its plumage across its wide range (throughout Canada and much of the US). Each of these plumage variations was formerly considered a separate species. The birds in the east were called Slate-colored Juncos. They are a dark, slate-color above and on the upper breast and throat. The birds along the edges of western coniferous forests were called Pink-sided Juncos. They have a light gray head, throat, and upper breast, with a brownish wash on the back and light salmon along the sides. The birds of the moist western coniferous forests were called Oregon Juncos. They have a dark head, throat, and upper breast, but are a chestnut-brown color on the back, with a wash of lighter brown along the sides. Birds in the Rocky Mountains were called Gray-headed Juncos. They look like a cross between the Slate-colored and Oregon Juncos, having a lighter gray head, throat, and upper breast, with a brownish back. A very small population of White-winged Juncos in the Black Hills of western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming are like the Slate-colored Juncos, but show faint white wingbars. The bird pictured is a Gray-headed Junco. This one was photographed in Rocky Mountain national Park in Colorado. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: July 1980)

[Length 6.25 in. Wingspan 9.25 in.]

This "Gray-headed" Dark-eyed Junco was photographed at the mountaintop restaurant, Sandia Crest, NM. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: March 3, 2008)