The dark-eyed junco is a very common bird in New Mexico — but only in the winter. Just as the American robin signals spring, the dark-eyed junco is a sure sign that winter is here or very near. In very high elevations of New Mexico, you'll find a few juncos year-round, but most of us don't start seeing them until about now. Last week I was hiking in the mountains, and around every turn in the path I flushed a flock of juncos. I bet I saw a few hundred juncos that day, and they were the first of the season for me. Juncos all seem to arrive at the same time. It seems like all of a sudden, juncos are everywhere.

Juncos are cool-weather birds that are commonly called "snow birds" because the sight of a junco means snow is not far behind. Most juncos spend their breeding season in Canada and Alaska, and then flood the rest of the United States for winter. I lived in Minnesota for many years and there, too, juncos would come for the winter.

Dark-eyed juncos are about 6 inches long with a small bill, are generally dark gray or brown on top with a white belly and white tail feathers. Because juncos are most often seen on the ground, you can't always see their white underside, but watch for the flash of white tail feathers as they fly away.

The species of dark-eyed junco includes at least six variations with slightly different markings. The entire eastern part of the country only sees the slate-colored junco. In New Mexico, we are lucky to commonly see three different varieties of juncos. The slate-colored variety is grayish brown with a white underside; the Oregon variety has a distinct darker gray hood and white underside; and the pink-sided variety is lighter gray on top, with pinkish sides and a white underside. Check your field guide and study the differences so you can spot each type of junco as it shows up in your backyard.

You'll see juncos in small flocks, usually 10 to 30 birds on the ground under your birdfeeder or in a park or woodland. They love to eat all types of seeds but are partial to the white millet found in most birdseed mixes. Birds that come up to your birdfeeder are mostly after the sunflower in your mix and kick the white millet out to the ground. But that's OK with juncos because that's exactly where they like to eat, on the ground. Keep your kitty inside, however; ground-feeding juncos are easy to catch.

Sometimes, if we have a lot of snow, I clear an area and throw white millet directly on the ground where juncos and other ground-feeding birds, such as towhees, can find it. You might also try a ground feeder with legs and a roof to keep seed high and dry.

Juncos might seem a bit small and delicate but are hearty cold-weather birds. At night they roost in old nests, pine trees, roosting boxes, rock crevices and even on the ground. Juncos might be sturdy, but in cold weather, it doesn't hurt to fill your feeders and throw a bit of seed on the ground just before dark, so juncos and other birds have a meal waiting for them at daybreak.

Anne Schmauss is the co-owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Santa Fe and the co-author of the 2008 book For the Birds: A Month by Month Guide to Attracting Birds to Your Backyard. She has written for Birder's World magazine and can be heard locally on NPR. Anne and her sister Mary have a new DVD coming out in early November titled: Attracting the Best and Brightest Backyard Birds.