Pheucticus melanocephalus
Regardless of whether the nest is tended by the male or the female, young Black-headed Grosbeaks are continually enveloped by a world of song. Black-headed Grosbeaks are brilliant singers that flaunt their voices in performances from treetops and from atop their nests. Although this grosbeak's bill looks like it can crush any seed imaginable, during their stay in the Rockies, Black-headed Grosbeaks also eat many insects. Strangely, these birds regularly dine on monarch butterflies, which are distasteful and even toxic to most birds, owing to their larval diet of milkweed. The scientific name melanocephalus is Greek for 'black-headed.' |
I.D.: General: large, dark, conical bill. Male: orange-brown underparts and rump; black head, back, wings and tail; white wing bars and undertail coverts. Female: dark brown upperparts; buffy underparts; lightly streaked flanks; pale eyebrow and crown stripe. Size: L 7-81/2 in. (18-22 cm). Range: fairly common migrant and summer resident in the southern and central U.S. Rockies; locally common in the northern U.S. Rockies; vagrant in the Canadian Rockies. Habitat: lowland and foothills forests, primarily pinyon-juniper, oak, ponderosa pine and aspen woodlands in the foothills. Nesting: in a tall shrub or deciduous tree, often near water; cup nest is loosely woven of twigs and lined with fine grass; female builds the nest in 3-4 days; pair incubates 3-5 eggs for 12-14 days. Feeding: forages the upper canopy for invertebrates and plant foods; occasionally visits feeding stations. Voice: long series of robin-like phrases, without any breaks. Similar Species: male is distinctive. Rose-breasted Grosbea: female has a pale bill and a streaked breast. Purple Finch: female is much smaller and has heavily streaked underparts. |
