Last updated on April 30th, 2022 at 12:20 am
Taking care of Dark-Eyed Juncos involves ensuring that they have access to all the nutrients they need. So what are those foods that Dark-Eyed Juncos love? What should you feed them when they’re babies, and what should you feed them when they’re adults?
Here are the 6 best things to feed a Dark-Eyed Junco:
1. Insects and Other Invertebrates
One of the most common foods for Dark-Eyed Juncos is insects.
Their favorite insects are beetles, caterpillars, and moths.
However, they’ll also eat grasshoppers, ants, wasps, spiders, and numerous other invertebrates, which is especially true while they’re young.
Insects make up most of a baby Dark-Eyed Junco’s diet and only some of the adult Dark-Eyed Junco’s diet.
They’re more plentiful and therefore make up a higher percentage of their diets during the late spring, summer, and early fall.
To feed baby Dark-Eyed Juncos, you can purchase mealworms from a pet store and place them in a feeder.
The parent Juncos will gather the mealworms and carry them to the nest, where the young will be waiting for the delicious meal.
They’ll likely use that kind of feeder as a food source during the breeding season and beyond.
2. Seed-Bearing Grasses
Dark-Eyed Juncos eat the seeds from grassy plants, including ragweed, chickweed, smartweed, and crabgrass.
You can provide for Dark-Eyed Juncos by planting and maintaining natural grassy areas in your yard.
However, these will mainly be food for adult Juncos and not for the young, who prefer insects.
Some are seeds that you can set up in a platform or tray feeder, and some are plants that you can grow in your garden.
3. Berries
Dark-Eyed Juncos also eat the berries from many native shrubs and trees. This high-sugar, fibrous food is rich in nutrients, including a range of vitamins.
While you might think raspberries and blueberries are their favorite food, think again.
The following are some of their favorite berry-producing trees and shrubs.
Eastern Red Cedar
The Eastern Red Cedar, also called Juniperus virginiana, is a tree that can grow quite large, but it’s a great investment if you have the space for it.
Dark-Eyed Juncos appreciate Eastern Red Cedars for their berries and the shelter it gives them while they’re nesting and roosting.
Firethorn
Firethorns, or Pyracantha coccinea, grow colorful orange and red fruits that capture the attention of many songbirds.
These plants are incredibly resilient and can adapt to different environmental conditions.
If you grow Firethorn in your yard, you’ll be supporting birds like the Dark-Eyed Junco and increasing the likelihood that you see them.
Winterberry
Winterberry trees bear holly, a kind of fruit that’s loved by game birds, waterfowl, and songbirds alike.
These bright red berries easily capture the birds’ attention, and they contain many essential nutrients.
Planting Winterberry, also known as Ilex verticillata, is a great way to naturally feed Dark-Eyed Juncos.
American Cranberrybush
The American Cranberrybush, or Viburnum trilobum, is part of a family of plants that come in many different shapes and forms.
Each produces flower clusters that grow along with black, red, or blue fruits. The plant has a deep red color, and you can use it to create hedges.
4. Flower Seeds
Dark-Eyed Juncos can also eat the seeds from many garden flowers.
For this reason, planting zinnias, cosmos, coneflowers, and marigolds would benefit the Dark-Eyed Juncos in your area and make it more likely that they’ll visit your yard.
Alternatively, you can put the garden seeds out in place of birdseed in a feeder.
As a general rule, you can trust that flowers that sprout seeds and fruit and produce nectar or grains will be attractive to birds.
In many cases, this is a more sustainable solution for landowners who want to support native species like the Junco.
5. Birdseed
Several common kinds of birdseed are available on Amazon.com and are suitable for attracting Dark-Eyed Juncos.
They’re millet, sunflower hearts, cracked corn, and thistle.
Valley Farms Millet
Millet is a safe and nutritious birdseed that you can use to attract Dark-Eyed Juncos and has substantial amounts of protein and fiber.
It is also vitamin-packed and a good source of calcium.
In addition to Dark-Eyed Juncos, millet attracts wrens, towhees, buntings, finches, and more. You can use it with many different kinds of feeders as well.
Valley Farms Sunflower Hearts
Sunflower hearts attract many kinds of songbirds, including Dark-Eyed Juncos.
They’re prepared without the shell to reduce mess but left unsalted and uncooked for the birds’ health.
You mustn’t feed Dark-Eyed Juncos or any other bird processed sunflower seeds containing oils and salts.
Wagner’s Cracked Corn
Cracked corn is a safe birdseed choice for ground-feeding birds and tray feeders especially.
It tends to attract Blue Jays, Cardinals, Juncos, Quali, Ducks, Pheasants, and many small rodents and mammals.
Cracked corn is often used to draw bully birds and animals away from other feeders since it’s an attractive and widely liked seed type.
Meadow Ridge Farms Thistle
Thistle, also known as Nyjer, is a favorite of finches, but sparrows, nuthatches, and juncos also eat it.
Using Nyjer Thistle in your yard is a great way to attract an adult Dark-Eyed Junco.
This particular Nyjer Thistle comes from Meadow Ridge Farms, locally blended and freshly bagged daily.
6. Other Plant Seeds
Other plants that attract Dark-Eyed Juncos include buckwheat, lamb’s quarters, sorrel, pigweed, purslane, and vetch.
Seeds from these plants comprise most of a Dark-Eyed Junco’s diet, especially during the winter when insects are unavailable.
Planting native vegetation like these plants on your property is a good way to ensure the health and safety of the Juncos.
To learn more about what plants are native to your area and therefore most beneficial to the birds, try using the National Wildlife Federation’s Native Plant Finder.
This tool allows you to comprise lists of native plants that’ll benefit all layers of the garden ecosystem to get you started planting the right plants.