Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored Junco)

This specimen is a body feather from a Dark-eyed Junco, a iconic sparrow species of northern coniferous forests and agricultural landscapes.

Distinctive two-tone pattern with a charcoal grey slate core bordered sharply by a clean white outer fringe

Dual structure: Pennaceous distal tip with interlocked barbs, and fluffy plumulaceous basal half for insulation

Smooth and soft distal pennaceous vane with a silky, downy basal section

Small size (~1 inch), stark two-tone coloration featuring dark slate-grey contrasting sharply with bright white tips and margins

Coniferous and mixed forests, woodland edges, agricultural yards, grain storage areas, and farmsteads

Widespread across North America; breeds throughout Canadian boreal forests including Manitoba, wintering across central and southern US

Important ground-foraging granivore and insectivore, serving as a key seed disperser and prey species for small raptors

Black-capped Chickadee body feathers (lack the sharp white outer margin on dark slate ground) and White-crowned Sparrow contour feathers

Juncos are often called 'snowbirds' as their arrival in many regions coincides with early winter weather; they roost in dense conifers and farm outbuildings.

Fair to Good; distal web intact, slight wear and fraying on outer white margin, downy base fluffy and intact

About an inch in length, found in the grads under a tree next to a spruce tree behind a barn and a grain bin in middle Manitoba