Dark-eyed "Oregon" Junco,  Junco hyemalis oreganus-group

Number of accepted Dark-eyed "Oregon" Junco records for Louisiana = 2  

Accepted Records

One male (1955-003) on 30 January 1955, Caddo: 2.7 mi. SE Greenwood, NW ¼, Sec. 6, T16N, R15W; Horace H. Jeter (LSUMZ 20380).

Photo by Donna L. Dittmann

One (2023-107) on 3 January 2023, Morehouse, Lake Irwin Road; Cindy Hardaker.

Photo by Cindy Hardaker

Unaccepted Records

One adult male (2012-118) on 19 February 2012, Catahoula: entrance area of Catahoula NWR, Bushley Bayou Unit where Minnow Ponds Rd. turns off Hwy. 8.
Although the bird was photographed, poor lighting made the photos difficult to interpret and most Members were not convinced that a cismontanus-type Slate-colored Junco could be ruled-out. Junco subspecific identification is not a trivial ID problem, even for experienced observers, and the reporting observer was inexperienced with Oregon-type juncos. There are surprisingly few well-documented occurrences of non-Slate-colored Juncos in Louisiana.

One adult male (2014-079) on 16 February 2014, La Salle: near Nebo, near the E. end of Red’s Place Rd.
The observer failed to provide convincing details supporting identification of this subspecies group.

One male (2020-052) on 16 November 2020, Terrebonne: Houma, 3719 Bayou Black Drive.
This record was submitted as a ‘Pink-sided x Oregon’ Junco hybrid (Junco hyemalis mearnsi x oregonus-group). This individual superficially resembled a Pink-sided Junco by virtue of its gray and pink coloration and dark mask. However, it was too “hooded” with a contrastingly darker chest and a brownish crown effectively eliminating a pure Pink-sided, and possibly suggesting a hybrid. Only one Member supported identification as a Pink-sided X Oregon hybrid. Other Members acknowledged the plumage was not of a pure Slate-colored but were hesitant to assign parentage without genetic confirmation due to the number of subspecies and the variability across sex/age, as well as potential of backcrossing. An alternative approach was proposed to accept as a “non-Slate-colored Junco," and all Members except one agreed.

One (2023-20) on 21 January 2024, Caddo, LSUS Campus - Pioneer Heritage Center.
Members agreed that the description sounded good for this form, but junco subspecies identification is notoriously complicated, and the absence of photos made resolving this identification impossible.