These stunning birds spend the winter in Mexico and migrate north during the spring to breed. As far as raising the babies is concerned, grosbeaks have an egalitarian relationship: the male and female share nesting duties. Here's a photo of the female.
Her plumage is much less flambuoyant than the male's. But (unlike most other species) she does sing! You can hear several variation of the Black-headed Grosbeak song at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-headed_Grosbeak/sounds
These birds are one of the few species of bird that eat Monarch butterflies while wintering in Mexico. Most birds cannot tolerate the toxins in the butterfly.
3 comments:
Hi. I just saw an unusual (to us) bird in our yard on Gabriola that we thought might be a Bullock's Oriole. I told my mum in Victoria, and she visited your blog, and told me about your post on these Grosbeaks, suggesting that might have been what we saw. I'm new to birding so don't know much, and I didn't get a good look at the bird, so I don't know. Anyway, there you go. Could have been the Grosbeak. Do you see Orioles here often?
Hi Justine. I haven't seen a Bullock's here, although maybe someone else has. There was a sighting in Vancouver recently, but these birds don't typically get up quite this far north. Still, the climate is changing - anything could happen. Certainly lots of grosbeaks on Gabriola right now. Thanks for dropping by!
Okay, thanks for the info. Sounds like it was much more likely a Grosbeak then. Either way, wish I had got a better look at it. This birding thing is kinda fun. Best, Justine.
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