BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK

The 'Black-headed Grosbeak', ''Pheucticus melanocephalus'', is a medium-size seed-eating bird in the same family as the Northern Cardinal, the Cardinalidae. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, ''P. ludovicianus'', with which it hybridises on the Great Plains.
The 19 cm long, 47 g weight Black-headed Grosbeak is a migratory bird, with nesting grounds from southwestern British Columbia, through the western half of the United States, into central Mexico. It occurs as an accidental further south in Central America.

Contents

Description

Habitat

Nesting

Voice

Diet

Range and migration

Behavior

References

External links

Further reading

Book

Report

Thesis

Articles

Description

The Black-headed Grosbeak's approximate length is 18-19 cm or 6-1/2 to 7-3/4 inches in length and is similar in size to a Common Starling. As per its name the male has a black head. It also has black wings and tail with prominent white patches. Its breast is dark to tawny orange in color. Its belly is yellow. The female has a brown head, neck and back with sparrow-like black streaks. She also has white streaks down the middle of her head, over her eyes and on her cheeks. Her breast is white and her wings and tail are greyish-brown with two white wing bars and yellowish wing edges.

Habitat

The Black-headed Grosbeak prefers to live in deciduous and mixed wooded areas. It likes to be in areas where there are large trees as well as thick bushes, such as patches of broadleaved trees and shrubs within conifer forests, including streamside corridors, river bottoms, lakeshores, wetlands, and suburban areas. It also seems to avoid coniferous vegetation.

Nesting

Nests are built by the female among the dense foliage on an outer branch of tall broadleaved trees or shrubs, 3-35’ above ground and are in the shape of an open saucer. They will occasionally build in dense shrubs such as blackberry. They are made of fine grass, rootlets twigs, bark and conifer needles. The nest is often lined with rootlets, hair, and fine plant material. The female lays 2-5 pale green, blue or grey eggs that are spotted with reddish and dark brown. The eggs are incubated by the male and female for 12-14 days. After the eggs have hatched the fledglings leave the nest in about 11 or 12 days, however they are unable to fly for another two weeks. The young are fed by both adults. The Black-headed Grosbeak's monogamy is under study, but pair bonds generally last for only one breeding season. They typically have one brood per season, though double-broods have been documented in foothills of the Sacramento Valley in California.

Voice

The Grosbeak’s song is a rich warble that is similar to that of an American Robin but more fluent, faster, softer, sweeter and mellow with rising and falling passages that make the song much longer than the Robin’s. The note is a sharp ''ik'' or ''eek''. Both the male and female sing, but have different songs.

Diet

The Black-headed Grosbeak eats pine and other seeds, berries and insects, spiders and fruit. During the summer months it mostly eats spiders, snails and insects. It is one of the few birds that can safely eat the poisonous monarch butterfly. In their wintering grounds this grosbeak consumes many monarchs and many seeds. It will come to bird feeders for sunflower and other types of seed, and fruit.

Range and migration

Black-headed Grosbeaks range from the Pacific coast to the middle of the US Great Plains and from south western Canada to the mountains of Mexico. US and Canadian are highly migratory, wintering in Mexico. In the Great Plains the range of the Black-headed Grosbeak and the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks overlap and have interbred somewhat. After the breeding season, they tend to seek out berry-rich areas. They migrate south early in the fall and return to the north late in the spring and have been known to do so in flocks.

Behavior

Black-headed Grosbeaks frequently sing from prominent perches. Both the male and female sing, but have different songs, and both are known to sing from the nest while incubating. When trying to court a female, males fly with their wings and tails spread. They forage in the foliage, on the ground or in low vegetation and are prominent berry eaters.

References

★ Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

★ Stiles and Skutch, ''A guide to the birds of Costa Rica'' ISBN 0-8014-9600-4

★ BirdWeb.org Seattle Audubon Society

External links

★ Black-headed Grosbeak - ''Pheucticus melanocephalus'' - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

★ Black-headed Grosbeak Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding

★ Black-headed Grosbeak Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

★ Black-headed Grosbeak videos on the Internet Bird Collection

Further reading

Book

★ Hill, G. E. 1995. ''Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)''. In The Birds of North America, No. 143 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.

Report

★ Ralph CJ, Paton PWC & Taylor CA. (1991). ''Habitat Association Patterns of Breeding Birds and Small Mammals in Douglas-Fir-Hardwood Stands in Northwestern California and Southwestern Oregon''. U S Forest Service General Technical Report PNW. vol '285', p. 379-393.

Thesis

★ Bagne KE. Ph.D. (2006). ''The effects of prescribed burning in the spring on avian communities in the Sierra Nevada of California''. University of California, Riverside, United States -- California.

★ Kroodsma RL. Ph.D. (1970). ''NORTH DAKOTA SPECIES PAIRS. I. HYBRIDIZATION IN BUNTINGS, GROSBEAKS, AND ORIOLES. II. SPECIES-RECOGNITION BEHAVIOR OF TERRITORIAL MALE ROSE-BREASTED AND BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS (PHEUCTICUS)''. North Dakota State University, United States -- North Dakota.

★ Leonard M. Ph.D. (2003). ''Singing on the nest: A review and an experimental study of this seemingly paradoxical behavior''. The University of New Mexico, United States -- New Mexico.

★ Ritchison GK. Ph.D. (1980). ''SINGING BEHAVIOR OF THE BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, PHEUCTICUS MELANOCEPHALUS, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE FUNCTION OF SINGING BY FEMALES''. Utah State University, United States -- Utah.

Articles

★ Airola DA & Barrett RH. (1985). ''Foraging and Habitat Relationships of Insect-Gleaning Birds in a Sierra-Nevada USA Mixed-Conifer Forest''. Condor. vol '87', no 2. p. 205-216.

★ Alsop FJ, III. (1969). ''Black-Headed Grosbeak in Tennessee''. Migrant. vol '40', no 3. p. 59-60.

★ Anderson BW & Daugherty RJ. (1974). ''Characteristics and Reproductive Biology of Grosbeaks Pheucticus in the Hybrid Zone in South-Dakota USA''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '86', no 1. p. 1-11.

★ Blakesley JA & Reese KP. (1988). ''Avian Use of Campground and Noncampground Sites in Riparian Zones''. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol '52', no 3. p. 399-402.

★ Calvert WH, Hedrick LE & Brower LP. (1979). ''Mortality of the Monarch Butterfly Danaus-Plexippus Avian Predation at 5 over Wintering Sites in Mexico''. Science. vol '204', no 4395. p. 847-851.

★ Casto SD. (1976). ''Host Records and Observations of Quill Mites Acarina Syringophilidae from Texas USA Birds''. Southwestern Entomologist. vol '1', no 4. p. 155-160.

★ De Long WC. (1969). ''The Black-Headed Grosbeak in Western Iowa USA''. Iowa Bird Life. vol '39', no 2.

★ Donnelly R & Marzluff JM. (2006). ''Relative importance of habitat quantity, structure, and spatial pattern to birds in urbanizing environments''. Urban Ecosystems. vol '9', no 2. p. 99-117.

★ Fink LS & Brower LP. (1981). ''Birds Can Overcome the Cardenolide Defense of Monarch Butterflies Danaus-Plexippus in Mexico''. Nature. vol '291', no 5810. p. 67-70.

★ Gardali T, Holmes AL, Small SL, Nur N, Geupel GR & Golet GH. (2006). ''Abundance patterns of landbirds in restored and remnant riparian forests on the Sacramento River, California, USA''. Restoration Ecology. vol '14', no 3. p. 391-403.

★ Gardali T & Nur N. (2006). ''Site-specific survival of Black-Headed Grosbeaks and spotted towhees at four sites within the Sacramento Valley, California''. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. vol '118', no 2. p. 178-186.

★ Ginter DL & Desmond MJ. (2004). ''Avian mortality during fall 2001 migration at communication towers along the Rio Grande corridor in southern New Mexico''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol '49', no 3. p. 414-417.

★ Ginter DL & Desmond MJ. (2005). ''Avian mortality during fall 2001 migration at communication towers along the Rio Grande corridor in southern New Mexico (vol 49, pg 414, 2004)''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol '50', no 4.

★ Goldberg M & Goldberg I. (1972). ''Black-Headed Grosbeak in Dakota County''. Loon. vol '44', no 4. p. 121-122.

★ Goodwin CE. (1974). ''Ontario Ornithological Records Committee Report for 1973''. Ontario Field Biologist. vol '28', no 1. p. 7-14.

★ Gordon DC. (1969). ''Black-Headed Grosbeak at Watertown''. Kingbird. vol '19', no 1.

★ Hettish A. (1974). ''Report on Black-Headed Grosbeak Murfreesboro''. Migrant. vol '45', no 3. p. 72-73.

★ Hill GE. (1986). ''Severe Aggression between Female Black-Headed Grosbeaks Pheucticus-Melanocephalus''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '98', no 3. p. 486-488.

★ Hill GE. (1987). ''Aging and Sexing Black-Headed Grosbeaks in Alternate Plumage''. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol '58', no 3. p. 311-317.

★ Hill GE. (1988). ''Age Plumage Brightness Territory Quality and Reproductive Success in the Black-Headed Grosbeak''. Condor. vol '90', no 2. p. 379-388.

★ Hill GE. (1988). ''The Function of Delayed Plumage Maturation in Male Black-Headed Grosbeaks''. Auk. vol '105', no 1. p. 1-10.

★ Hill GE. (1989). ''Late Spring Arrival and Dull Nuptial Plumage Aggression Avoidance by Yearling Males''. Animal Behaviour. vol '37', no 4. p. 665-673.

★ Hill GE. (1994). ''Testis mass and subadult plumage in Black-headed Grosbeaks''. Condor. vol '96', no 3. p. 626-630.

★ Huber RL. (1974). ''More Black-Headed Grosbeak Reports''. Loon. vol '46', no 3.

★ Hyde E. (1977). ''Black-Headed Grosbeak at Pierre''. South Dakota Bird Notes. vol '29', no 2. p. 42-43.

★ Koch G. (1971). ''The Black-Headed Grosbeak in South-Charleston and St-Albans West-Virginia March and April 1971''. Redstart. vol '38', no 4.

★ Kosh FT. (1969). ''Black-Headed Grosbeak at Wilmington North-Carolina''. Chat. vol '33', no 4.

★ Kroodsma RL. (1971). ''North-Dakota Species Pairs Part 1 Hybridization in Buntings Grosbeaks and Orioles Part 2 Species Recognition Behavior of Territorial Male Rose-Breasted and Black-Headed Grosbeaks Pheucticus''. Dissertation Abstracts International B Sciences & Engineering. vol '32', no 3.

★ Kroodsma RL. (1974). ''Hybridization in Grosbeaks Pheucticus in North-Dakota USA''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '86', no 3. p. 230-236.

★ Kroodsma RL. (1974). ''Species Recognition Behavior of Territorial Male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak and Black-Headed Grosbeak Pheucticus''. Auk. vol '91', no 1. p. 54-64.

★ Ligon JD. (1968). ''Starvation of Spring Migrants in the Chiricahua Mountains Arizona USA Pirango-Ludoviciana Pheucticus-Melanocephalus Wilsonia-Pusilla Otus-Flammeolus''. Condor. vol '70', no 4. p. 387-388.

★ Odell EA & Knight RL. (2001). ''Songbird and medium-sized mammal communities associated with exurban development in Pitkin County, Colorado''. Conservation Biology. vol '15', no 4. p. 1143-1150.

★ Ortega CP & Ortega JC. (2003). ''Comparison of black-headed grosbeaks nesting in riparian and Gambel oak pastures in southwestern Colorado''. Southwestern Naturalist. vol '48', no 3. p. 383-388.

★ Parker AL. (1973). ''Black-Headed Grosbeak at Atlanta Georgia''. Oriole. vol '38', no 2-3.

★ Parker AL. (1974). ''Black-Headed Grosbeak at Atlanta Georgia''. Condor. vol '76', no 3.

★ Pence DB & Casto SD. (1976). ''Nasal Mites of the Subfamily Speleognathinae Ereynetidae from Birds in Texas USA''. Journal of Parasitology. vol '62', no 3. p. 466-469.

★ Ritchison G. (1981). ''Distraction Behavior in the Black-Headed Grosbeak Pheucticus-Melanocephalus''. Inland Bird Banding. vol '53', no 3. p. 49-53.

★ Ritchison G. (1983). ''The Function of Singing in Female Black-Headed Grosbeaks Pheucticus-Melanocephalus Family Group Maintenance''. Auk. vol '100', no 1. p. 105-116.

★ Ritchison G. (1983). ''Possible Deceptive Use of Song by Female Black-Headed Grosbeaks Pheucticus-Melanocephalus''. Condor. vol '85', no 2. p. 250-251.

★ Ritchison G. (1985). ''Variation in the Songs of Female Black-Headed Grosbeaks Pheucticus-Melanocephalus''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '97', no 1. p. 47-56.

★ Ritchison G. (1985). ''Vocalizations of the Black-Headed Grosbeak Pheucticus-Melanocephalus''. Western Birds. vol '16', no 3. p. 143-145.

★ Swenson NG. (2006). ''Gis-based niche models reveal unifying climatic mechanisms that maintain the location of avian hybrid zones in a North American suture zone''. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. vol '19', no 3. p. 717-725.

★ Willard T. (1995). ''Black-headed grosbeak at feeder in Perry, GA''. Oriole. vol '60', no 1. p. 8-10.