Like many other buntings, the slate-colored junco, is extremely adept at removing the husks from seeds. It can move the upper and lower halves of its conical bill independently, using the back-and-forth sideways movement to crush, dislodge, and discard the seed's hard outer covering. The song of the dark-eyed junco can be heard here.

Tony Tilford/Oxford Scientific FilmsLibrary of Natural Sounds, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. All rights reserved.

"Slate-Colored Junco," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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