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Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Cardinals and Grosbeaks (Cardinalidae)
Black-headed Grosbeak Head Illustration

Head

  • Bill Shape: Cone
  • Eye Color: Varies from brown, to brownish green, to olive-brown.
  • Head Pattern: Eyeline, Unique pattern
  • Crown Color: Black
  • Forehead Color: Black
  • Nape Color: Black
  • Throat Color: Black and rust-brown.
  • Cere color: No Data
Black-headed Grosbeak Body Illustration

Body

  • Length Range: 18-22 cm (7-8.5 in)
  • Weight: 43 g (1.5 oz)
  • Size: Small (5 - 9 in)
  • Color Primary: Orange, Black
  • Underparts: Rust-brown
  • Upperparts: Black with some white and brown on the wings.
  • Back Pattern: Striped or streaked
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Solid
Black-headed Grosbeak Flight Illustration

Flight

  • Flight Pattern: Short flights wih rapid wing beats.
  • Wingspan Range: 30-33 cm (12-13 in)
  • Wing Shape: Rounded-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Fan-shaped Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: Black
  • Under Tail: Gray-black
  • Leg Color: Black
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Family
Species Pheucticus melanocephalus
Length7 - 8.5 Inches
Wingspan12.5 Inches

Black-headed Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak: Large, stocky finch, black-streaked, orange-brown back, black head, wings, tail. Breast is orange-brown and belly is yellow. Wings have conspicuous white patches. Black legs, feet. Forages on ground and in trees and bushes. Eats insects, caterpillars, seeds, fruits and berries.

● Song: "plik"

● Foraging & Feeding: Black-headed Grosbeak: Diet consists of seeds, insects, berries, and fruits; forages in trees, bushes, and on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Black-headed Grosbeak: Three to four light blue or green eggs with red brown spots are laid in a loosely built stick nest lined with rootlets, grass, and leaves, and built among dense foliage on an outer tree limb. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Black-headed Grosbeak: Rose-breasted Grosbeak has heavier streaked white to buff underparts and darker upperparts.

Flight Pattern

Short flights wih rapid wing beats.
Black-headed Grosbeak Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Black-headed Grosbeak: Breeds from southwestern Canada east to western North Dakota and Nebraska, and south to the mountains of Mexico. Spends winters in Mexico. Preferred habitats include open, deciduous woodlands near water, such as river bottoms, lakeshores, and swampy places with a mixture of trees and shrubs.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.5 Ounces