BIRD OF THE MONTH

May: Black-headed Grosbeak

by Janine Schutt

Black-headed Grosbeak

One of Kitsap’s most highly anticipated spring migrants is the colorful and spirited Black-headed Grosbeak.  Among the last to arrive in our region for breeding, this gregarious bird provides endless entertainment as it zips through backyards emptying seed and suet feeders.  Here are some fascinating facts about the Black-headed Grosbeak:

•  Male is black and orange with white wing spots and a yellow patch on the belly.  It takes two years for the male to develop his full adult plumage.  

• Female and juvenile are paler with a prominent whitish stripe on the side of the head and dark streaking on the belly. 

• Trademark features across all plumages include a thick bill and yellow underwings, which are visible in flight.  

• Arrives in the Puget Sound region in early May and departs in late August or early September.

• Winters in the tropical lowlands of Mexico and breeds across most of the American West and parts of southwestern Canada. 

• Found almost anywhere there is water, from streamside mountain forests to desert oases.

• Preferred habitat consists of mixed forests with mature deciduous trees in riparian areas, but also utilizes rural backyards with suet and sunflower seed feeders and water features.

• Has a pleasant melodic song, which males often sing loudly from the treetops.  Females sing a simpler version.

• Typical diet consists of insects, spiders, snails, seeds, and berries.  Sometimes snatches flying insects out of midair.

• An oversized bill is useful for breaking open seeds and crushing beetles and snail shells.  

• Eats monarch butterflies in Central Mexico, which are poisonous to most birds.  

• Female builds a loose nest of twigs, perhaps to provide natural cooling, which is concealed by leaves on an outer branch of a tree, typically 25 feet above ground level.  

• Clutch size is 2 to 5 eggs, and both parents raise the young.