This junco of the Transition and Boreal Zones of mountains in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central America is resident throughout much of its range. In southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, pairs maintain all-purpose breeding territories and then migrate to lower elevations and form winter flocks with Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis). These relatively tame birds forage on the ground and are easily seen, often frequenting campsites and picnic areas. In s. Arizona, pairs remain together throughout the breeding season, producing up to 3 successful broods per season. During the breeding season, males are often heard singing their multipart, warblerlike song from high atop conifers.

Yellow-eyed Juncos are locally abundant, sedentary, and philopatric, and they adapt well to captivity. These traits make this an exceptional species for behavioral studies, and its behavior and life history are reasonably well understood. Songs of the Yellow-eyed Junco, with their 2 to 3 parts and multiple trills, are highly variable within populations. This species was featured in classic studies on individual variation in song ( Marler, P. and D. Isaac (1960). Song variation in a population of Brown Towhees. Condor 62:272-283. Close Marler and Isaac 1960c) and song development ( Konishi, M. (1964). Effects of deafening on song development in two species of junco. Condor 66:85-102. Close Konishi 1964a). A series of studies on the effects of flock size on behavior and individual trade-offs among foraging, vigilance, and aggression were based on winter flocks of Yellow-eyed Juncos in southern Arizona (Caraco Caraco, T. 1979. Time budgeting and group size: a test of theory. Ecology no. 60:618-627. Close Caraco 1979, Caraco, T. 1979. Time budgeting and group size: a test of theory. Ecology no. 60:618-627. Close Caraco 1979, Caraco et al. Caraco, T., S. Martindale and H. R. Pulliam (1980). Avian flocking in the presence of a predator. Nature no. 285:400-401. Close Caraco et al. 1980a, Caraco, T., S. Martindale and H. R. Pulliam (1980). Avian time budgets and distance to cover. Auk 97:872-875. Close Caraco et al. 1980b, Pulliam, H. R., G. H. Pyke and T. Caraco. 1982. The scanning behavior of juncos: a game theoretical approach. J. Theor. Biol. no. 95:89-103. Close Pulliam et al. 1982). Growth, energy expenditure, and time allocation are well understood in this species from studies conducted over the annual cycle in southern Arizona (Weathers and Sullivan Weathers, W. W. and K. A. Sullivan (1989). Juvenile foraging proficiency, parental effort, and avian reproductive success. Ecological Monographs 59:223-246. Close Weathers and Sullivan 1989a, Weathers, W. W. and K. A. Sullivan (1989). Nest attentiveness and egg temperature in the Yellow-eyed Junco. Condor 91:628-633. Close Weathers and Sullivan 1989b, Weathers, W. W. and K. A. Sullivan (1991). Growth and energetics of nestling Yellow-eyed Juncos. Condor 93:138-146. Close Weathers and Sullivan 1991b, Weathers, W. W. and K. A. Sullivan (1991). Foraging proficiency of parent Juncos and their young. Condor 93:346-353. Close Weathers and Sullivan 1991a, Weathers, W. W. and K. A. Sullivan. 1993. Seasonal patterns of time and energy allocation by birds. Physiol. Zool. no. 66:511-536. Close Weathers and Sullivan 1993, Sullivan, K. A. 1990. Daily time allocation among adult and immature Yellow-eyed Juncos over the breeding season. Anim. Behav. no. 39:380-387. Close Sullivan 1990, Sullivan, K. A. and W. W. Weathers. 1992. Brood size and thermal environment influence field metabolism of nestling Yellow-eyed Juncos. Auk no. 109:112-118. Close Sullivan and Weathers 1992). In most passerine species, young birds are difficult to find once they leave the nest, and consequently little is known about fledgling and juvenile life history stages. Studies on mortality patterns, acquisition of foraging skills, energy expenditure, and time allocation among immature Yellow-eyed Juncos have made a valuable contribution to our understanding of fledging and juvenile passerines (Sullivan Sullivan, K. A. (1988). Age-specific profitability and prey choice. Animal Behaviour 36:613-615. Close Sullivan 1988a, Sullivan, K. A. (1988). Ontogeny of time budgets in Yellow-eyed Juncos: Adaptation to ecological constraints. Ecology 69:118-124. Close Sullivan 1988b, Sullivan, K. A. 1989. Predation and starvation: age-specific mortality in juvenile juncos (Junco phaeonotus). J. Anim. Ecol. no. 58:275-286. Close Sullivan 1989, Sullivan, K. A. 1990. Daily time allocation among adult and immature Yellow-eyed Juncos over the breeding season. Anim. Behav. no. 39:380-387. Close Sullivan 1990, Weathers and Sullivan Weathers, W. W. and K. A. Sullivan (1989). Juvenile foraging proficiency, parental effort, and avian reproductive success. Ecological Monographs 59:223-246. Close Weathers and Sullivan 1989a, Weathers, W. W. and K. A. Sullivan (1991). Growth and energetics of nestling Yellow-eyed Juncos. Condor 93:138-146. Close Weathers and Sullivan 1991b, Weathers, W. W. and K. A. Sullivan (1991). Foraging proficiency of parent Juncos and their young. Condor 93:346-353. Close Weathers and Sullivan 1991a). Since most studies to date on this species have been conducted at the northern exent of its range, it would be worthwhile to investigate the behavior and population dynamics of other populations of Yellow-eyed Juncos.