The Yellow-eyed Junco (Junco phaeonotus) is a distinctive sparrow of the higher elevations in southeastern Arizona, especially in the “Sky Island” mountain ranges such as the Chiricahuas, Huachucas, Catalinas and Santa Ritas. Unlike its dark-eyed relatives, this species is easily recognized by its bright yellow eyes, rufous mantle, and gray body. Yellow-eyed Juncos are residents of pine-oak and mixed-conifer forests, often foraging in flocks on the ground for seeds and insects. Their range in the United States is limited almost entirely to Arizona, where they represent the northernmost extension of a species more widely distributed through the highlands of Mexico and Central America.
