Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.1–7.5 in
18–19 cm - Wingspan
- 12.6 in
32 cm - Weight
- 1.2–1.7 oz
35–49 g
Other Names
- Cardinal à tête noire (French)
- Tigrillo, Frío (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Despite his showy plumage, the male Black-headed Grosbeak shares about equally with the female in incubating eggs and feeding young.
- The nest of the Black-headed Grosbeak is widely reported to be so thinly constructed that eggs can be seen through bottom. However, nests are less thin in northern California. Thin nests may provide ventilation and help keep them cool.
- The female Black-headed Grosbeak commonly sings. The female song is generally a simplified version of the male song. Occasionally, the female sings full "male" song, apparently to deceive its mate about the presence of intruders and force him to spend more time at the nest.
- The male Black-headed Grosbeak does not get its adult breeding plumage until it is two years old. First-year males can vary from looking like a female to looking nearly like an adult male. Only yearling males that most closely resemble adult males are able to defend a territory and attempt to breed.
Habitat
Forest
Breeds in a variety of deciduous and mixed forest habitats.
Food
Insects
Insects, seeds, and fruits.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- Pale greenish blue with reddish brown spotting, heaviest around large end.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless, with sparse down.
Nest Description
A loose, open cup of twigs, plant stems, rootlets, and pine needles, lined with fine stems, rootlets, hair, string, and some green material. Placed in outer branches of small tree or shrub, often near a stream.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Foliage Gleaner
Gleans insects from foliage and branches. Will use bird feeders.
Conservation
Least Concern
Common. Populations generally slightly increasing.
Credits
- Hill, G. E. 1995. Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus). In The Birds of North Americaa, No. 143 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.