Black-headed Grosbeak

Taxobox
name = Black-headed Grosbeak
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1


image_caption = Female (left), male (right)
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Cardinalidae
genus = "Pheucticus"
species = "P. melanocephalus"
binomial = "Pheucticus melanocephalus"
binomial_authority = (Swainson, 1827)

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.

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 [http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=433 Seattle Audubon Society]

External links

* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i5960id.html Black-headed Grosbeak - "Pheucticus melanocephalus"] - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* [http://www.sdakotabirds.com/species/black_headed_grosbeak_info.htm Black-headed Grosbeak Information] - South Dakota Birds and Birding
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-headed_Grosbeak.html Black-headed Grosbeak Species Account] - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=9669 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.