Enchanting Evening Grosbeaks: Winter's Feathered Delight
We carefully curate and select each product showcased on our platform with the help of our knowledgeable editors and experts. Any purchase made through our links may result in us earning a commission.
Evening grosbeaks are hard to miss with their robin-like size and bold yellow eyebrows. Despite their name, which suggests they are more active at dusk, spotting them can be challenging for novice birdwatchers. If you want to learn how to identify and attract these stunning birds, keep reading!
The evening grosbeak is a remarkable bird species that is known for its stunning appearance. Charlotte Demers, a researcher at the Adirondack Ecological Center in Newcomb, New York, describes these birds as “big and gorgeous.” The males, in particular, are striking, with their yellow, black, and white feathers that really catch the eye. Female evening grosbeaks, on the other hand, are more yellow-grey in color. One distinctive feature of male grosbeaks is an almost comically bold unibrow. All grosbeaks share a common characteristic: a thick, conical beak that enables them to crack tough seeds.
The evening grosbeak is a distinctive bird with its large beak, gray and yellow feathers, and black-and-white wing design. This finch species goes by the scientific name of Coccothraustes vespertinus and measures about 8 inches in length with a wingspan of 13 inches.
When it comes to nesting, the female evening grosbeak constructs a shallow saucer-shaped nest using various plant materials. She then lays a clutch of two to five blue or turquoise speckled eggs.
As for their diet, these birds primarily feed on tree buds, seeds, and fruits, but they’re also known to eat insects and occasionally small vertebrates. Overall, the evening grosbeak is a fascinating species to observe with its unique appearance and varied feeding habits.
Entice evening grosbeaks to your backyard by offering them sunflower seeds. These birds have diverse diets throughout the year, which range from maple sap to caterpillars, fruits, seeds, and buds. However, during the winter season, they prefer large flocks that feed on sunflower seeds. Sally Harris, a reader of Birds & Blooms, shares her memorable winter experience when a few evening grosbeaks arrived in January 2020, and within two weeks, more than 100 of them were feeding on sunflower seeds. If you want to attract these beautiful birds to your feeder, make sure to offer them sunflower seeds.
According to Charlotte, the VIA Merchant expert, Grosbeaks are a bit too big for tube feeders. However, you can attract them by using tray or platform feeders and hoppers. During feeding time, you can witness large flocks of these birds dining together while others join in from nearby treetops. Keep a lookout for this amazing sight in your backyard. To invite these birds to your yard, install a side mount tray feeder on your deck, fence, or tree. You can also try listening to their unique song and call.
Kelleigh Farr shared that evening grosbeaks, also known as “songless songbirds”, do not actually have a proper song. Even though they are considered to be songbirds, they use chirping calls instead of singing to choose a mate or protect their territory. If you want to spot them, listen for the distinctive “kleerr” call that is sharp, high-pitched, and trilling. Regarding migration, no information was provided in the given content for paraphrasing.
Lynda Yosco shares that evening grosbeaks have unpredictable migration patterns and are considered irruptive migrators. They do not adhere to typical annual movement patterns, and it is not uncommon for large numbers of these birds to appear in a location one year and then disappear for years to come. However, their nomadic lifestyle has its benefits, as they usually find an abundance of food resources wherever they go. Charlotte has observed grosbeak flocks “gritting” alongside roads, a peculiar behavior where the birds gather sand in their crops to help digest the hard seeds and nuts they consume. For reference, you can check out the habitat and range map provided.
The evening grosbeak, a species that thrives in forests, can be found all throughout Canada and the western mountains of the United States year-round. Over time, the species made its way to New England through ornamental plantings of box elder trees in the early 1900s. Experts have different theories as to why the population of these birds have recently declined in the East. Some believe that their numbers were artificially high due to outbreaks of spruce budworm, while others blame habitat loss. Although these birds used to flock in groups of 30 or more during the winter season, they are becoming increasingly rare in the Northeast and Midwest. However, they can still be commonly found in Oregon and other areas of the west. The Kaufman Field Guides has provided range maps for this bird species, which is also the official field guide of Birds & Blooms.
