Yellow-Eyed Junco

A confiding, ground-foraging finch of pine-oak and montane forests in the southwestern United States and Mexico, often seen hopping and scratching through leaf litter or gathering around forest clearings and campgrounds. The pale eye set against a dark hood is the easiest field mark at close range, and small foraging flocks are typical outside the breeding season. Mid to high elevation forest trails in the cooler months tend to produce the most reliable sightings.