Junco phaeonotus
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The yellow-eyed junco (Junco phaeonotus) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae, the New World sparrows. It is found from the southwestern United States to Guatemala. The yellow-eyed junco was formally described in 1831 by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler from a specimen collected in Mexico. He introduced a new genus, Junco, and coined the binomial Junco phaeonotus. The genus name is from Latin iuncus meaning "rush". The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek phaios meaning "dusky" or "brown" with -nōtos meaning "-backed".
The yellow-eyed junco has these four subspecies: What is now Baird's junco (Junco bairdi) was previously considered a subspecies of the yellow-eyed junco. Following... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-eyed Junco sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 221 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, May and December
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-eyed Junco in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, against about 50% in October, the lowest month. Those are among Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 270 mm in July. April and June–September have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-eyed Junco sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Yellow-eyed Junco sightings, Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 10%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Passerellidae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-eyed Junco that you can see in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (family Passerellidae, New World Sparrows) are Spotted Towhee (about 40%), Lincoln's Sparrow (about 30%) and Canyon Towhee (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-eyed Junco is recorded against all the birds logged in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (221 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
