Birds · Passeriformes · Passerellidae

Volcano Junco

Junco vulcani

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The volcano junco is a greyish brown bird with striking yellow eyes and a pink bill and legs, endemic to the highest mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. It lives in the páramo and scrub of the summits, including that of Chirripó, and is notably trusting: it approaches walkers with barely any hesitation.

Weight

17 g – 24 g

Size

13 cm – 16 cm

Lifespan

8 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

MountainTundraOmnivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Mountain Tundra

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Fun facts

It is one of the few birds occupying the páramo of the Costa Rican summits, an environment that exists only above 3,000 metres and that in Central America is reduced to a handful of massifs.
It is extraordinarily trusting with people: it comes up to the mountain huts and to walkers on Chirripó looking for scraps, behaviour typical of birds that evolved without land predators.
Its bright yellow eyes against dull plumage make it unmistakable: no other bird on those summits has them.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Páramo, high-altitude scrub and cloud forest clearings of Costa Rica and Panama, above 2,100 m
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 13 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junco_vulcani