As a teenager, I spent some summer weeks at a cottage on a lake in the mixed forest near Ottawa. Red and White Oaks, Birch, Maples, Hemlock and White Pine towered and smaller trees and shrubs including Hophornbeam (Ironwood), Willows, and Staghorn Sumac edged glades and topped rocky hillsides. I remember seeing ruby-red male Scarlet Tanagers high up in the canopy. And a robin-sized male black and white bird with a pink or red splash on its chest singing to meet with his mate..
Male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks provided a nice splash of colour to the woods.
What Is This Really Big Sparrow with a White Eyebrow?
There are several female birds that look like robin-sized sparrows. Female Red-winged Blackbirds are one. Female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are another.
I tend to notice their thick wide pale “eyebrow” which helps me identify them quickly. Their bill is also a good field mark. There is some white on the wing too. It’s always easier to id her, though, if her male partner shows up!
What On Earth Is This Crazy Coloured Bird?
The first time I saw a young Rose-breasted Grosbeak changing plumage, I thought it was a brand new (rather ugly) species. When its parents flew by, I realized what it really was.
What’s So Gros About a Grosbeak?
You can see the “gros” beak, or large bill on this one.
Do Male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks Help at the Nest?
Sometimes, I read that female birds, like the female blackbird, have dull colours so they will be less visible on the nest. So I wondered whether male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks help with incubating the eggs and tending the chicks while they are in the nest or not.
From the back, males look just black and white. Well, the bill is pink.
According to the AllAboutBirds Cornell University website males do “share incubation, brooding, and feeding duties at the nest.”
So I don’t think that camouflage is the explanation for the difference in colouring between the males and females.
I never knew they had reddish patches under their wings till I took this photo of a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in flight.
Are Rose-breasted Grosbeaks Feeder Birds?
If there happens to be a sunflower seed feeder nearby, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks will enjoy the seeds. In the summer, though, like many birds, they catch a tremendous number of insects to feed their chicks.
I most often see them at the seed feeders at Riverwood during the spring just after they arrive in the park to set up their summer nesting territories.
I can never get birds to pose when they are in lovely backgrounds! Ah, well, at least I can remember how gorgeous they looked, even if I can’t share it.
I hope to see more Grosbeaks this spring. And, hey, if a Blue Grosbeak wants to show up for a photo op, I’d be happy to greet it too!
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Do you see Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at your feeder in the spring or nesting in trees near you in the summer? Please share your observations with a comment.