Name: Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Description: Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks are common in forests and wooded areas in the northeastern United States and Canada. The heavy bill of the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak is used to glean food, such as insects, seeds and fruits, from trees. This bird breeds from southern Yukon southeastward to northern North Dakota, eastward to Newfoundland, and southward to Nebraska, New Jersey, and in the mountains to northern Georgia. It winters from southern Mexico to northern South America and the Caribbean.

Other Names: Potato-Bug Bird

Color: The male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, boldly patterned in black, white and rose, is easily identified. The female has scaled brown upper parts, streaked brown under parts, and yellow and brown under wings.

Sound: The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak’s song is a slow, rich warble, like a Robin that has taken singing lessons. Its call is a sharp “squeak” like a sneaker on a gym floor.

Preferred Environment: The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak breeds in deciduous and mixed woodlands (especially at the edges), second-growth woodlands, orchards, suburban parks and gardens. It winters in open tropical forests.

Nesting Habits: The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak's nesting site is built from 5 to 20 feet (1.5 to 4.5 m) above ground, where a horizontal branch or crotch in a sapling forms a safe support for the nest. The male usually selects deciduous trees or tall bushes for its breeding habitat, and his drab-looking mate accepts the choice. The nest of twigs, bark strips, rootlets, grasses and hair is so flimsily constructed that often the brown-spotted, greenish-blue eggs can be seen below.

Food Preference: Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks feed on safflower, sunflower, niger (thistle), corn and suet.