April
29, 2009 - Two pairs of rose breasted grosbeaks have
been seen at our feeders. The males have very
distinctive red V patterns on their chests. These two
did not look at all like last year's males (perhaps
these are the last year's juveniles, who had not yet
displayed the red patch). We need to rethink our
new arrangement of using less open trays, as these
grosbeaks seem a little too big to be comfortable on
most perches. After all, they are here to
eat.
The rose-breasted grosbeak is quite a distinguished and handsome
bird. This spring they arrived late as usual on May 5th and left
early on August 14th.
The males make an appearance before the females (who are later still-
no surprise to any dating couple). Our first summer in this home,
we were thrilled to be able to easily identify this special bird.
Because he didn't travel or hang out with a female, we didn't even
notice the arrival and pairing that must have occurred under our not so watchful
eye.
By this summer, we were more knowledgeable with tons of new bird
reference books and better camera equipment. We have found that
pictures of yet-to-be-identified birds help greatly in finding the name
of a new friend without panicking about forgetting an important
feature. Placing the seemingly millions of brown streaked song
birds with their usually more colorful mates is quite a challenge.
It gets even harder with juveniles vying for attention.
The rose-breasted grosbeak family have a lot of color variations.
The breeding males are the most obvious, but even they differ in the
number and pattern of white spots and bars on their backs and wings.
Their red chest triangles vary in size and shape too. The more red
showing, the more desirable he is to a potential mate.
The female is distinguishable from female finches because of the
large beak size (hence the name grosbeak) and the yellow underwings.
The first-fall male resembles a female, but with buffy head and a
buffy to reddish wash on breast. Underside of male has less
streaking and his underwings are pink to red instead of the yellow of
the female.
The rose-breasted grosbeaks have enough variation to distinguish one
bird from another. Food Guy loves to name individual birds, so we'll see
if Wilma and Willis and kids return next spring.
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Size:
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Length: 7-8.5 in
Weight: 1.6 oz
Wingspan: 12-13 in
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ID:
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Male: Black head; wings and tail black with white patches;
underparts white with rosy red triangular patch on breast; rose
patch and white wing patches vary in size and shape on each
male; pink underwing; large and powerful ivory bill to crack
open seed (hence the name grosbeak); reddish-gray feet
anisodactylous(three toes point forward and one toe points
backward)
Female: Heavily streaked brown and white; white eyebrow,
mustache and throat; wing lining yellow
Juvenile: Female looks like adult female but yellowish orange tinges
on breast and under wings; male looks similar to adult female with
reddish pink tinges in triangular patch area on breast
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Habitat:
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Forest edges; backyards; mature deciduous trees; fields and
orchards
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Diet:
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Insects (especially caterpillars, beetles and moths), seeds
(especially sunflower seeds from feeders), fruits and their
blossoms
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits: Monogamous and solitary; male and female rub
bills during courtship; 1-2 broods per year
Nests: Cup shaped and made of twigs, weeds and grass, lined with
small twigs, rootlets and hair; built mostly by female with some
help from male who often selects the site; usually placed in
thickets, vine or small tree
Eggs: 3-5 pale bluish green with reddish brown or purple
speckles; female incubates more than male 13-14 days
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless, naked, eyes closed) and
stay in nest 9-12 days; fed by both parents (male may continue
to feed while female re-nests); adults bring to feeders
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Social Activities:
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Males arrive several days before females in spring; solitary
or in pairs during breeding season; join flocks for migration
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Range:
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Breeding: Southern Canada, northern US and south along the
Appalachian Mountains
Winter: Migrates to northwest South America, West Indies and
Mexico
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Vocalization:
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Male sings louder and clearer than females; rich whistles and
phrases with brief call notes (a soft wheezy eek)
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Lifespan: |
Up to 13 years |
