This handsome bird belongs to the family CARDINALIDAE and, like the Cardinal, has a thick conical bill. The grosbeak’s sturdy bill is perfect for eating seeds (also fruits and insects), and twice yearly, spring and fall, a small flock visits my feeder. They never stay long, about a week, and are off again. (Photo courtesy of Ken Thomas.)
The summer breeding range map (available at All About Birds) of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak includes Pennsylvania, but my visitors always move on from my property. I never understand why since the habitat here should suit them perfectly (“deciduous and mixed woodlands”). Do I sound like I’m sulking? Ha!
However long they decide to stay, I’m always pleased to see the showy splash of bright red against the male’s white breast. The female, in tones of tan, brown, and white, is not so colorful but yet distinctive in the bold striping of her head.
Springtime at my feeder is nothing if not colorful! Just the other evening, I delighted in the brilliant blue of Indigo Buntings, the bright yellow of American Goldfinch, and the red, black, and white of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak—to name only a few of the birds! But I’ll have more to say about the others in postings yet to come.
Until then . . . happy birding!
Georgia Anne
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