- The Yellow-eyed Junco (Junco Phaeonotus) is a medium-sized New World sparrow easily recognized by its striking, piercing yellow-orange eyes - Primarily a Mexican species, it barely enters the United States, appearing only in the high-elevation "sky islands" of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico - Inhabits open montane coniferous and pine-oak forests, typically moving down to lower oak woodlands and scrub during the winter