Backyard Birds - What’s In A Name?

The term “grosbeak” is a funny word. Grosbeak is a French word meaning “large beak”. I’m referring to the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. A large beaked bird, the male is strikingly marked with black head, wings and back, and has a white belly and rump has a splash of bright red on its chest. While the male is so strikingly beautiful, the female looks completely different. Referred to as sexual dimorphism, this is when the males and females are different in size and plumage. The female has brown and caramel colored streaks down her breast along with sparrow looking wings and face markings. In flight, flashes of white can be seen on its wings and tail.

Though related to the strong singing Northern Cardinal, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak does not sound like the cardinal at all but sounds more like an American Robin. However the grosbeak has more detail and quality in its song.

Food-

Foraging in the treetops, it mainly stays out of sight in the Eastern half of the country. A diet consisting mostly of insects, seeds and berries may include an occasional spider or snail.

Courtship and Nesting-

Spreading its wings and tail, the male will approach the female with his head back and singing. When the female comes toward the male he may reject her for a day or two, but once they have selected each other as a mate it is a monogamous relationship. Both parents share in the duties of incubating the eggs, brooding and feeding. Nest predators could be Blue Jays, Common

Migratory Bird Event at Cane Ridge

The Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge would like to announce a special event at the Cane Ridge Wildlife Management Area to celebrate migratory birds on May th from 9:00 am–1:00 pm central time. At the event, visitors will be guided to selected areas of Cane Ridge that are normally closed to the public to view migratory birds that are using the managed wetlands.Experienced birdwatchers, Refuge staff and volunteers will be located at these areas to assist with bird identification and discuss bird migration, habitat management and Refuge regulations.

Grackles, red and gray squirrels. The couple will defend the nest by being noisy and aggressive towards these predators. Nests can be found in deciduous trees or large shrubs 5-20ft off the ground. Built mostly by the female, the nests are shaped like an open bowl and made loosely of twigs and weeds. The nest is lined with fine twigs and sometimes animal hair; however it is loosely assembled, and the eggs can often be seen from below.

Interbreeding has been known to occur with the Black-headed Grosbeak where their ranges overlap.

Eggs-

Typically there are four eggs with an occasional 3-5 eggs that are pale green and spotted reddish brown. Hatching in about 14 days, the young Grosbeaks leave the nest another 9-12 days after that. The male may take care of the young while the female moves on to start a new nest having 1-2 nests a year.

What’s in a name? The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is also known as “Cutthroat” for its red patch that trickles down onto the white breast and looks a little unnerving.