The volcano junco (''Junco vulcani'') is a

New World sparrow New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns. Although they share t ...

endemic to the

Talamancan montane forests The Talamancan montane forests ecoregion, in the tropical moist broadleaf forest biome, are in montane Costa Rica and western Panama in Central America. Setting The Talamancan montane forests cover a discontinuous area of in Cordilleran mounta ...

of Costa Rica and western

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. This

junco A junco , genus ''Junco'', is a small North American bird in the New World sparrow family Passerellidae. Junco systematics are still confusing after decades of research, with various authors accepting between three and twelve species. Despit ...

breeds above the timberline, typically at altitudes above 3,000 m, but there is an isolated population at 2,100 m on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica and forest clearance on

Cerro de la Muerte Cerro de la Muerte is a mountain peak of a massif in Costa Rica, it is located within the Tapantí — Cerro de la Muerte Massif National Park, and is the highest point on the Pan-American Highway. Toponymy Its name means "Mountain of Death", " ...

has allowed this species to descend to 2,600 m. The habitat is open grassy or brushy areas with some stunted scrubs. The nest is a neat, lined

cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...

constructed on the ground under a log, bush or rock, or in a cavity on a vegetated bank. The female lays two brown-spotted pale blue eggs. The volcano junco is on average 16 cm long and weighs 28 g. The adult has brown upperparts with dark streaking especially on the back. The wings and tail feathers are dark fringed. The underparts are grey. The sides of the head are grey with a black mask through the eye, a yellow iris, and a pink bill and legs. Young birds are brighter brown above with blacker streaking, and have buff-grey underparts. Volcano junco calls include a thin ''tseee'' or a clearer ''wheew''. The song is a mixture of squeaks and buzzes; ''k’chew chu k’wee chip chip chueee''. The volcano junco feeds on the ground on

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s, fallen berries,

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s and

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

s. It runs and hops, but flies only for short distances.

References

* Stiles and Skutch, ''A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q2229950

volcano junco The volcano junco (''Junco vulcani'') is a New World sparrow endemic to the Talamancan montane forests of Costa Rica and western Panama. This junco breeds above the timberline, typically at altitudes above 3,000 m, but there is an isolated ...

Birds of the Talamancan montane forests