Grosbeaks

1. Black-headed (Pheucticus melanocephalus) _ Length 8.25″, wingspan 12.5″ (1st and 2nd photos)
2. Pine (Pinicola enucleator) _ Length 9″, wingspan 14.5″ (3rd photo)

What they eat: Seeds, insects, fruit, suet

Habitat: Woodlands, open pine forests

Where they nest: Trees, shrubs

My observations: We’ve been treated to visits by both of these Grosbeaks, which you’ll notice are two different species. They lead quite similar lives. The Pine Grosbeak is considered to be more rare, so I’m glad we spotted it. As our landscape has filled in over the years, I believe it has attracted a more diverse population of birds. This should be an important goal for anyone wanting to draw a lot of birds to their garden.

The Black-headed Grosbeak seen in the top photo really gorged on one of our suet cakes. We spotted the female Black-headed Grosbeak (above left photo) on the suet feeder in mid-June. We suspect she was tanking up to feed her young. Notice how much paler her markings are, which is common for female birds. The Pine Grosbeak (see photo to right) is a female) snacking on crabapples in March. Males have more rosy-red plumage. Both birds typically migrate in late summer.

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