Baird's junco

Baird's junco (Junco bairdi) is a species of junco, a group of small, grayish New World sparrows. It is endemic to the forests in the higher elevations of the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range of the southern Baja California peninsula in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Baird's junco is approximately average-sized for a New World sparrow, with males being (on average) larger than females and most individuals being approximately 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in length with a mass of approximately 18 grams (0.63 oz). Baird's junco have the shortest wings (69 millimetres (2.7 in)) and the shortest tails (62 millimetres (2.4 in)) of any member of the genus Junco, something that is likely correlated to their sedentary, non-migratory nature.

Baird's juncos are sexually monomorphic, and adult Baird's juncos have gray heads with black lores, buffy brown backs, wings, and flanks, and paler gray or white throats blending into a pale whitish chest, belly, and vent. Some individuals are browner below, with color from the flanks covering more of the undersides. Like other members of the genus junco, the outermost tail feathers are white, giving a distinct white flash when birds fly. Baird's juncos have bright yellow eyes, and dull pinkish to pinkish-horn or yellow-orange bills with a maxilla usually darker than the mandible, giving a bicolored appearance to the bill.

The vocalizations of Baird's junco are quite distinct, and are significantly different from other populations of "yellow-eyed" juncos in North America. Baird's junco songs are fairly complex, especially for the genus junco, and consist of longer songs with multiple unique phrases and few repeats of phrases within each song.