We had some unexpected company at our birdfeeder this week. A stunning male Rose-breasted Grosbeak stopped by to sample our sunflower hearts. He came in the morning and returned for another snack that afternoon.
I am always super excited when a feathered visitor stops by. I had seen a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak once or twice in the past, and what a beautiful bird – jet black feathers on his backs and wings highlighted with snowy white plumage on his stomach and wing tips plus a brilliant red patch on the chest. The Grosbeaks are stocky, medium sized songbirds with very large triangular bills. While the males are brilliantly colored, the females are a dull streaky, brown.
The chunky birds use their stout bills to eat seeds, fruit, and insects. They are also frequent visitors to backyard bird feeders, where they eat sunflower seeds and hearts. The sweet, rambling song of a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a familiar voice of eastern forests.
Rose-breasted grosbeaks breed in the eastern forests, among both deciduous trees and conifers. They are most common in regenerating woodlands and often concentrate along forest edges and in parks. During migration, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks frequent fruiting trees to help fuel their flights to Central and South America.
We were honored to have this beautiful bird as our guest, even if for only one day.
