According to John James Audubon, “there is not an individual in the Union who does not know the little Snow-Bird, which, in America, is cherished as the Robin is in Europe.” The current common name for the Snow-Bird is the Dark-eyed junco.
Dark-eyed juncos are so widespread in North America that they have since been divided into a number of subspecies: Slate-colored (all across the continent), Gray-headed (southwest), Oregon (mostly western), Pink-sided (mostly southwest), and White-winged (western mountains). While widespread, the Dark-eyed junco could hardly be considered today as cherished or well known as the Robin is in Europe. When Dark-eyed juncos come out of hiding, it is typically during the winter months when they cannot resist the temptation of gathering underneath bird feeders hopping about and eating whatever other birds from above either dropped or decided needed to be scattered or tossed.