January 2025

The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks is pleased to partner with Wild Birds Unlimited to support songbird populations at the Garden! Together, we have refurbished the feeder station and will be offering new opportunities for ornithology education in 2025. As part of this initiative, Wild Birds Unlimited will contribute a “Bird of the Month” feature to our newsletters, along with helpful tips and ideas for caring for your own backyard birds.

As a chill begins to grow in the air, these tiny birds travel hundreds of miles from the northern Great Lakes region and Canada to find their way to the grass and leaves under our bird feeders. Known by many as “snow birds,” the quiet trilling song of the Dark-eyed junco becomes more prevalent throughout the winter before they leave in April to return to their breeding grounds. They’re one of our most easily recognized sparrows, often gray or black on top and white underneath. A light pink beak peeks out from their dark-feathered faces, a perfect beak for eating grass seeds and berries during the winter here in Arkansas.

To draw these adorable little birds into your yard, the best foods are sunflower seeds, millet, cracked corn, and suet nuggets such as Wild Birds Unlimited’s Bark Butter ® Bits.  Place these foods on or near the ground in a wide tray, or pick a feeder that allows a small amount of food to fall to the ground below! Having a low water source such as a bird bath in your yard, as well as shrubs, brush piles, or other low roosting locations will encourage them to stay longer. These birds often return to the same yard every winter, sometimes even to the same feeders!

If you would like to see more juncos at the Botanical Garden’s bird-feeding station, make sure to donate to the “Feed a Bird” fund! To find out more about juncos and other Arkansas birds, or to pick out your new favorite feeder, visit us at Wild Birds Unlimited, at one of our two locations: 745 E Joyce Blvd in Fayetteville and 2011 Promenade Blvd in Rogers. Enjoy the birds!