Not an escaped bird
text : Norma A. Hubbard photos : Chantal Rogers (October 2016)
The first summer we were here, we saw him. I don’t recall if it was Ron or I who saw him first, but we both thought the same thing, “Wow, is that an escaped bird?” Neither of us had seen anything like it before, at least not outside of a pet store. This bird was so striking with his bright red neck against a white chest and black and white wings. What was he? Well, it turns out he was a Rosebreasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus). Since that first sighting, each summer the number of these incredible birds have increased at our feeders.
Grosbeaks, as the name indicates, have short, strong beaks used to crack open seeds. In addition to all the sunflower seeds they eat at my feeders, Grosbeaks, like most birds, also eat and feed their young plenty of insects, such as beetles, ants, bees, butterflies, and moths. Both the male and the female feed their young. In fact, males take their turn sitting on the eggs during the day. A clutch will have 1-5 eggs and they can have 1-2 broods a year. Often we see young birds late in the summer, most likely a second brood. Pairs are thought to be monogamous.
They are stocky birds compared to most of our songbirds; they are slightly smaller than a Robin but much bigger than the finches. Their song is very pleasant, sounding Robin-like, but considered by many bird watchers as having a superior song to the Robin! Males sing to establish territories and to attract females. Male and female birds sing to each as they come and go from their nests, and often the male will keep singing while on the nest. I like to think he is singing to his ‘babies’. The males are the flashy ones, but the females are striking in their own way, as they remind me of a small hawk with mostly beige feathers and yellowish marks where the males have red chevron. The oldest recorded age is for a male was at least 12 years old.
Grosbeaks inhabit forests with both deciduous and evergreen trees. They will come to feeders and seem to be loyal if you keep them well fed! Grosbeaks are migratory and fly to Central and northern South American for the winter. They are powerful flyers and many will cross the Gulf of Mexico in a single night.
Since they return to my backyard each spring, I sort of think of them as my pets, as I show them off to visitors. (A birder friend, who is not as lucky as we are to have these impressive birds in her area, took these pictures in my yard). While I now know these are wild birds, sadly in some areas Grosbeaks are caged for their beauty and sweet song. Despite this, Grosbeaks are listed as ‘least concern’ by conservationists. Let’s hope they remain wild birds in our area.
Source: ALL ABOUT BIRDS, The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology [online]