Black-headed Grosbeak Identification

Adult male

Hefty songbird with a very thick conical bill. Adult males are rich orange-cinnamon with a black head and black-and-white wings.

Female/immature

Relatively large-headed with a short, thick neck and a short tail that imparts a compact, chunky look. Females/immatures have warm orange or buff on the breast. Some have streaks on the sides of the breast.

Adult male

Thick-bodied songbird with a very large, triangular bill. Perches, sings and forages at middle and high levels in trees along edges.

Adult male

Female/immature

Chunky songbird with a hefty bill. Females/immatures are brown and streaky above with orangish underparts. Note buffy eyebrow and neck.

Female/immature

Females and immatures are warm buff on the undersides with a strongly striped head, huge bill, and brown-and-white back and wings.

Female/immature

The amount of streaking on the underparts varies among individuals. This individual has streaked flanks. Note buffy eyebrow and neck, and bicolored bill (dark on top, pale on bottom).

Adult male

Adult males have a streaky black-and-orange back and black wings with white patches.

Adult male

The whistled song rises and falls like an American Robin's, but is longer, sweeter, more varied, and less choppy in its phrases. Both males and females sing.

Female/immature

Stocky songbird with a hefty bill. Females/immatures have a warm orange breast with variable amounts of streaking.

Female/immature

Males and females/immatures

Often comes to backyard feeders to eat sunflower seeds; may also visit hummingbird or oriole feeders.

Adult male

Adult male

Found in mixed woodlands and edges, mountain forests, thickets along desert streams, backyards, and gardens.