Home
Bird Guide
Bird Cams
Bird Academy
Bird ID Skills
Feeding Birds
Bird Friendly Homes
Problems
FAQs
Biology
News & Features
Videos
Get Involved

Living Bird Magazine
Membership Services
Support the Lab

IDMerlin Bird IDMerlin Bird ID Join Us

All About Birds

Search

Browse all birds

Looking forBird ID Help?

Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds.

Try Merlin Bird ID

Recently Viewed Species

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

© Benjamin Clock | Macaulay Library New Jersey, May 09, 2011

Song
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
New York, May 23, 1992Recorded by Steven R. Pantle | Macaulay Library
Calls
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
New York, May 29, 1997Recorded by Gregory Budney

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

Both males and females sing a rich, sweetly whistled song. The pattern is similar to an American Robin’s song, composed of many notes that alternately rise and fall. Most people describe the grosbeak’s song as sweeter and more melodious than a robin’s. The song can last 6 seconds and consist of 20 notes or syllables. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are one of few bird species reported to sing while sitting on the nest. The female sings when nest-building, incubating, and brooding. The male often sings quietly from the nest and loudly from other high perches.

Calls

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks give short, sharp, penetrating chink calls, sometimes likened to the sound of a sneaker on a gym floor. They also give harsh, repeated squawks when alarmed.

Compare with Similar Species

Click on an image to compare

Black-headed Grosbeak Female/immature is similar to Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak

Purple Finch Female/immature (Eastern) is similar to Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Looking for ID Help?

Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds.

Try Merlin Bird ID

Species in This Family

Cardinals and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family:Cardinalidae)

Hepatic Tanager

Hepatic Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Western Tanager

Western Tanager

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak

Painted Bunting

Painted Bunting

Browse Species in This Family

More to Read

Project FeederWatch
How to Tell a Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak From a Female Purple Finch
Here's What to Feed Your Summer Bird Feeder Visitors
Flyways for Flyweights: Small Birds Capitalize on Weather Patterns During Epic Migrations

Identify the Brown, Streaky, Juvenile Songbirds of Summer With These Tips
Living Bird Magazine
In Colombia, Shade-Grown Coffee Sustains Songbirds and People Alike
Living Bird Magazine
They Had Feathers: Is the World Ready to See Dinosaurs as They Really Were?

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Overview
ID Info
Life History
Maps
Sounds
Merlin Bird ID

Overview
What We Do
Visit the Lab
Job Opportunities
News Releases

Citizen Science

eBird
Project Feederwatch
NestWatch
Celebrate Urban Birds
Great Backyard Bird Count
Habitat Network

Lifelong Learning

Online Courses
Workshops
Bird Walks & Events
Spring Field Ornithology
BirdSleuth

Birds of North America
Clements Checklist
Neotropical Birds
State of the Birds
Annual Report
Scientific Citations
Living Bird Magazine

Bird Guide
Bird Cams
Macaulay Library
"Raven" Sound Analysis
Our Youtube Videos
FAQs

Support Our Cause

Join the Lab
Donate
Monthly Giving
Membership Services
Shop for Our Cause

Contact the Lab
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Site Credits

Copyright © 2017 Cornell University

New call-to-action

Do not show this again