I have long wondered if Dark-eyed Juncos can see better than other small passerines. We have a spotlight that shines over our back deck and throw out seed each night so that birds have food at sunrise.
At 4:00 am on two recent mornings, I noticed a flock of 60+ Dark-eyed Juncos eating seeds for about 30 minutes on the lit porch. The next morning, I kept the porch light off. The Dark-eyed Juncos did not come to eat until about 6:30 am when civil twilight reflecting off the snow made it visible enough for me to watch them (for them to see?).
The next morning with porch light on, they returned at 4:11 am gobbled up the seed.
House Sparrows and House Finches do not come by until almost sunrise or well after on most mornings.
So do Dark-eyed Juncos have better eyesight? They do live in darker habitats/woods and kick around for food under evergreen trees blocking sunlight. Have they adapted for this? It is worth doing some research when time permits.
At 4:00 am on two recent mornings, I noticed a flock of 60+ Dark-eyed Juncos eating seeds for about 30 minutes on the lit porch. The next morning, I kept the porch light off. The Dark-eyed Juncos did not come to eat until about 6:30 am when civil twilight reflecting off the snow made it visible enough for me to watch them (for them to see?).
The next morning with porch light on, they returned at 4:11 am gobbled up the seed.
House Sparrows and House Finches do not come by until almost sunrise or well after on most mornings.
So do Dark-eyed Juncos have better eyesight? They do live in darker habitats/woods and kick around for food under evergreen trees blocking sunlight. Have they adapted for this? It is worth doing some research when time permits.
No comments:
Post a Comment