Dark-Eyed Junco vs Fly Agaric

Junco hyemalis compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

Dark-Eyed Junco is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark-Eyed Junco	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Passerellidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Junco	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Junco hyemalis	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Dark-Eyed Junco

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark-Eyed Junco	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dark-Eyed Junco

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and North America (United States).

Fly Agaric

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

Dark-Eyed Junco

Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) is classified as Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List. Not yet evaluated against IUCN Red List criteria. Conservation status remains to be determined.

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.