Birdsong field guide
Black-headed Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus
A chunky, heavy-billed songbird of the American West, the Black-headed Grosbeak is distinguished by the male's striking cinnamon-orange underparts and bold black-and-white wings.
What it sounds like
A rich, fluid, flute-like warble resembling a more rhythmic and whistle-heavy American Robin song; call is a sharp, metallic 'pik'.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
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Field notes
- They are one of the few avian species capable of eating Monarch butterflies, having evolved a high tolerance for their toxic chemical defenses.
- Unlike most songbirds, both the male and female share incubation duties and will often sing while sitting on the nest.
- The species frequently hybridizes with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the narrow zone where their ranges overlap in the Great Plains.
- Their massive, conical bills are powerful enough to crush hard seeds, large beetles, and even the shells of snails.
- Nests are often so thinly constructed that the eggs can sometimes be seen through the bottom of the structure from below.
Habitat
Deciduous and mixed woodlands, wooded canyons, and riparian thickets.
Range
Western North America, breeding from southern Canada to Mexico and wintering in the Mexican highlands.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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