Yellow-eyed Junco
Yellow-eyed Junco has surged: up 283% on the route-weighted index since 1976.
About the Yellow-eyed Junco
The Yellow-eyed Junco (Junco phaeonotus) is a North American member of the New World Sparrows (Passerellidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4.5–7.5 in long (12–19 cm) — a small songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 7 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the Sierra Madre Occidental.
- Family
- Passerellidae · Forest birds
Notable Yellow-eyed Junco Trends
No notable trend signals for Yellow-eyed Junco. See the full index history below.
Yellow-eyed Junco Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Yellow-eyed Junco is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.05 (95% range 0.00–0.09). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±378.1%, with 40% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.09 |
| 2026 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.09 |
| 2027 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.09 |
| 2028 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.09 |
| 2029 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.09 |
Where the Yellow-eyed Junco Is Detected
BBS routes recording Yellow-eyed Junco, sized by most recent count.
Yellow-eyed Junco Population Trend by State
| Arizona | +209% | 1976 | 7 |
Yellow-eyed Junco Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Sierra Madre Occidental | +136% | 1976 | 7 |
Yellow-eyed Junco Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 283% since 1976.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.