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Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: CARDINALIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

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A common and familiar bird of the American West, the Black-headed Grosbeak can be found in mountain forests, along desert streams, or in backyards and gardens. The male and female differ greatly in their plumage, with the male being a flashy black, white, and cinnamon, and the female a drab buff and brown.

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Appearance

Finchlike
Finchlike
Typical Voice

Adult Description

  • Medium-sized, stocky songbird.
  • Large, thick, bicolored, cone-shaped bill.
  • White flash in wings in flight.
  • Male distinctive with black face, orangish chest, belly, nape, and rump.

Male Description

Breeding (Alternate) Plumage:Head black (sometimes broken by partial or complete eyestripe of bright cinnamon); wings and tail black with sharply contrasting white spots; breast, rump, nape, and flanks brilliant cinnamon; and a patch of lemon-yellow on belly.
Nonbreeding (Basic) Plumage: similar, but dark feathers tipped with buff, hiding much of plumage pattern.

Female Description

Head brown with buffy to white (occasionally lemon-yellow) crown and eyestripe, a pale chin, brown wings and tail with indistinct buffy spots, and heavily streaked body plumage that is dull cinnamon to buff with variable amounts of yellow.

Immature Description

Similar to adult female. First-year males variable, from very female-like to closely resembling adult male.

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Black-headed Grosbeak Range Map
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Field MarksHelp

  • Breeding adult male
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    Black-headed Grosbeak

    Breeding adult male
    • Stocky songbird with massive gray bill
    • Dull orange underparts and collar
    • Black face and tail
    • Streaked back, and white patches on wings
    • © Mike Wisnicki, Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada, May 2010
  • Breeding adult male
    Zoom In

    Black-headed Grosbeak

    Breeding adult male
    • Stocky songbird with massive gray bill
    • Black wings with white patches
    • Dull orange collar and underparts
    • © Keith Alderman, Poudre Canyon, Fort Collins, Colorado, June 2010
  • Adult female
    Zoom In

    Black-headed Grosbeak

    Adult female
    • Stocky songbird, with thick, dark bill
    • White eyebrow and chin stripe
    • Dull orange underparts with thin streaks on flanks
    • Brown patterned back and wings with white wing-bars
    • © Mike Wisnicki, Kootenay Boundary, British Columbia, Canada, July 2010
  • Adult female
    Zoom In

    Black-headed Grosbeak

    Adult female
    • Stocky songbird with thick, gray bill
    • White eyebrow and chin stripe
    • Pale orange underparts with thin streaks on flanks
    • Brown patterned wings with white wing-bars
    • © Ganesh Jayaraman, Los Altos, California, January 2000
  • Breeding adult male
    Zoom In

    Black-headed Grosbeak

    Breeding adult male
    • Stocky, heavy-bodied songbird
    • Massive, conical silver-gray bill
    • Black wings with white patches
    • Burnt orange breast, black on face and crown
    • © Ganesh Jayaraman, Los Altos, California, June 2010

Similar Species

  • Adult female
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    Purple Finch

    Adult female
    • Smaller than Black-headed Grosbeak with smaller, peaked head
    • Heavy brown streaking on white underparts
    • Notched tail
    • Lacks white on wings
    • © Dawn Vornholt, Roswell, Georgia, December 2010
  • Adult female
    Zoom In

    Rose-breasted Grosbeak

    Adult female
    • Bill entirely pale
    • Breast more heavily streaked than Black-headed Grosbeak
    • Buffy wash on breast less obvious than on Black-headed Grosbeak
    • © Mark G. Mittlestat, Wolverine, Michigan, May 2009
  • Adult female
    Zoom In

    Rose-breasted Grosbeak

    Adult female
    • Similar to female Black-headed Grosbeak but with entirely pale bill
    • Breast more densely streaked than Black-headed Grosbeak
    • Buffy wash on breast very faint or missing entirely
    • © Joel DeYoung, Holland, Michigan, May 2011
  • Breeding adult male
    Zoom In

    Rose-breasted Grosbeak

    Breeding adult male
    • Similar in shape to male Black-headed Grosbeak but rosy patch on breast distinctive
    • White belly
    • Bill entirely pale
    • Solid black head
    • © Mary Fran, Sandy Springs, Georgia, May 2009
  • Breeding adult male
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    Baltimore Oriole

    Breeding adult male
    • More slender-bodied and elongated than Black-headed Grosbeak
    • Bill more slender and sharply-pointed
    • Orange underparts richer and brighter than in Black-headed Grosbeak
    • © quietriver250, Iowa, May 2008

Similar Species

  • Purple Finch female resembles female Black-headed Grosbeak, but is smaller, smaller headed, has a distinct moustache stripe, a dark bill, and lacks white in wings.
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak male is distinctive with red chest, white belly, and black hood, but the female is very similar to female Black-headed Grosbeak. Rose-breasted Grosbeak has darker, thicker, and more extensive streaking on the underparts, especially in center of breast, is more white on head and nape, has buffy yellow rather than lemon-yellow wing linings, and an all pale bill.