Pine Grosbeak

Recognition

The males are rosy red while the females are plain gray with an orange head and rump. Both have two distinctive white wing bars and of course a very thick bill (a grosbeak).

Haunts

As their name indicates, Pine Grosbeaks show a preference for evergreens at all seasons of the year.

Schedule

Like other forest finches, they vary greatly in numbers from year to year. Their movements seem to be governed entirely by the availability of food. Most winters small flocks are found in our towns around bird feeders and fruit bearing trees or shrubs. Pine Grosbeak usually leave the valley bottoms by March, April. In summer they are scattered throughout the sub alpine forests.

Field Notes

Their food in winter is the seeds extracted from the cones of pine and spruce, but they also remove the seeds from berries and from crabapples left frozen on trees. They have a throat pouches for carrying food. Pine Grosbeaks are the most tuneful of our winter birds: their clear whistled calls, in two or three note phrases, are very pleasing to hear on a winter day.