Learn More About the Birds With the Big Beaks Going Ga-Ga for Grosbeaks

Rose-breasted and Black-headed Grosbeaks are in the same family as cardinals Evening Grosbeaks are in the finch family Basic Grosbeak Facts

Grosbeaks are slow- moving birds that are deliberate in their motions They show little fear of humans Both sexes of each species sing, and each has different songs Basic Grosbeak Facts

Rose-breasted and Black-headed Grosbeaks will interbreed in areas where their ranges overlap Hybrids can look like either parent species, or be intermediate in pattern, with various combinations of pink, orange, and black. Basic Grosbeak Facts

Grosbeak nests are loose, open cups of sticks, twigs, grasses, weed stems or straw that are lined with fine twigs, rootlets or hair Grosbeak nests are usually placed in trees, shrubs or vines Basic Grosbeak Facts

Female grosbeaks do virtually all of the nest- building, but males share equally in incubating the eggs and feeding the young Grosbeak nests are so thinly constructed that eggs can often be seen from below through the nest Basic Grosbeak Facts

Grosbeaks have unusual diets for birds with such large beaks For most of the year, over half of their diet is made up of insects Their huge beaks allow them to eat insects that have tough exoskeletons Basic Grosbeak Facts

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are relatively common throughout much of eastern and central North America They live in primary and secondary deciduous and mixed forests and thickets, and in parks and gardens Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks stay in Central and South America during winter Migrants begin to arrive in North America in mid-March to mid- April Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Males are black and white birds with large white wing patches and rosy spots beneath the wings that are visible in flight Females look like large, streaky-brown sparrows with big beaks Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are known for singing on moonlit nights, sometimes all night, but never very loudly Their voices are rich, whistled phrases that are often described as a “robin that’s taken singing lessons” Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Though their natural diet is made up mostly by insects, Rose- breasted Grosbeaks will also eat seeds and some fruits Their preferred feeder foods are sunflower, safflower and peanuts Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Rose-breasted Grosbeak nests are commonly parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird, possibly because of the singing done by both the male and female as they construct and sit on the nest Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Usually have between one and four pale green or blue eggs with reddish-brown blotches or specks They will incubate for 12 to 14 days, and nestlings usually leave between nine and 14 days from birth Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Black-headed Grosbeaks are relatively common throughout much of western North America They prefer to live in open, deciduous woodlands near water and in swampy places with a mixture of trees and shrubs Black-headed Grosbeaks

Black-headed Grosbeaks stay in Central and South America during winter; some can be found in these locations throughout the year Migrants begin to arrive in North America in April and May Black-headed Grosbeaks

Black-headed Grosbeak males have cinnamon bodies and black wings with white wing patches Again, the females look like large, chunky sparrows Black-headed Grosbeaks

Black-headed Grosbeaks’ musical phrases are similar to Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and are reminiscent of a robin Black-headed Grosbeaks

Though their natural diet is made up mostly by insects, Black- headed Grosbeaks will also eat weed seeds and some fruits Their preferred feeder foods are sunflower seeds Black-headed Grosbeaks

Black-headed Grosbeaks are monogamous through a single breeding and nesting season Black-headed Grosbeak females will sing a “male” song, making her mate believe that he hears a rival, forcing him to stay closer to the nest Black-headed Grosbeaks

Usually have between two and five pale green-blue eggs with red-brown spots They will incubate for 12 to 14 days, and nestlings usually leave between nine and 14 days from birth Black-headed Grosbeaks

Black-headed Grosbeaks are one of the few birds that can eat toxic Monarch Butterflies They discard the wings before eating the butterfly to reduce the amount of toxins they ingest Black-headed Grosbeaks

Black-headed Grosbeaks, along with Black-backed Orioles are the primary avian predators of the over- winter populations of Monarch Butterflies found in Mexico Black-headed Grosbeaks

Combined, they are responsible for more than 60% of Monarch mortality at many of the Mexican roosting sites Black-headed Grosbeaks

For more information about grosbeaks, visit our online field guide: Web Resource