Pheucticus ludovicianus
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) is a strikingly beautiful songbird of the family Cardinalidae, renowned for the male's distinctive plumage and melodious song. Males are easily identified by their glossy black head, back, and wings, stark white underparts, and a vivid, inverted rose-red triangle on their breast, with white wing patches and black and white tail feathers; they measure approximately 18-20 cm (7-8 in) in length, with a wingspan of 30-33 cm (12-13 in) and weigh...
Found primarily in deciduous or mixed forests, woodland edges, and open woodlands, they also frequent orchards, suburban gardens, and parks. They typically inhabit low to mid-elevations across their breeding and wintering ranges.
Their diet is diverse, consisting mainly of insects (especially beetles, caterpillars, and spiders), seeds (including sunflower and various wild seeds), and fruits (berries). They forage by gleaning from foliage and cracking hard seeds with their powerful bill.
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are diurnal, spending their days foraging and defending territories, roosting quietly in dense foliage at night. Their foraging strategy involves gleaning insects and berries from leaves and branches, often cracking seeds with their robust conical bill, and occasionally ha...
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak breeds across a wide swath of eastern North America, extending from southern Canada (Manitoba east to the Atlantic provinces) southward through the Great Lakes region, New England, and the Appalachian Mountains, reaching west into the eastern Great Plains where its rang...
Least Concern
- Male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are unusual among songbirds for taking a substantial share of incubation duties, sometimes covering eggs for up to a third of the day. - Their melodic song is often described as a 'robin with vocal lessons' or a 'drunk robin' due to its fluid, warbling quality. - Wh...