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Pine Grosbeak

Pinicola enucleatorOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Finches (Fringillidae)
Codes: Common Name: PIGR Scientific Name: PINENU ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179205
Least Concern
 
Pine Grosbeak
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Fair Below Avg Poor

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Pine Grosbeak: Large, robust finch with red-washed black back, gray sides and undertail coverts, and pink-red rump and underparts. Head and face are pink-red; bill is heavy and black. Wings are black with two pale bars. Tail is black and slightly notched. Feeds on seeds, buds, fruits and insects.

Range and Habitat

Pine Grosbeak: Breeds from Alaska east to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and south in the western mountains to California and Arizona. Spends winters south to the Dakotas and New York but may go farther south to southern Canada and northern United States. Prefers open coniferous forests and forest edges. Winters in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests; also found in shade trees in villages and in suburbs where it looks for food.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"teu, teu, teu"

Interesting Facts

 Pine grosbeaks are the largest of the northern finches.

 The Pine Grosbeak was depicted on the 1986 series Canadian $1000 bill.

 These birds love pine trees. Even their genus name Pinicola is Latin for pine dweller.

 A group of grosbeaks are collectively known as a "gross" of grosbeaks.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Splitbar
Range Map for Pine Grosbeak

Related Birds

House Finch
Purple Finch
Black Rosy-Finch
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
Red Crossbill
Pyrrhuloxia
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch
Common Rosefinch
Eurasian Bullfinch
White-winged Crossbill
.
Family Buntings, Finches, Sparrows (Emberizidae)_blue
Species Pinicola enucleator
Length9 - 9.75 Inches
Wingspan14.375 Inches

Pine Grosbeak

Pine Grosbeak: Large, robust finch with red-washed black back, gray sides and undertail coverts, and pink-red rump and underparts. Head and face are pink-red; bill is heavy and black. Wings are black with two pale bars. Tail is black and slightly notched. Feeds on seeds, buds, fruits and insects.

● Song: "teu, teu, teu"

● Foraging & Feeding: Pine Grosbeak: Feeds on seeds, buds, fruits, and insects; favorites include crabapple, bittersweet, barberry, and mountain ash fruit, and birch, pine, and spruce seeds; forages in trees and on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Pine Grosbeak: Two to five blue green eggs with black, purple, and brown spots are laid in a bulky nest made of twigs, weeds, and rootlets, lined with hair, soft grass, moss, and lichens, and built low in a conifer, usually no more than 10 to 12 feet above the ground. Incubation ranges from 13 to 15 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Pine Grosbeak: Other grosbeaks and finches are smaller, have shorter tails, and different calls. White-winged Crossbill is smaller and has distinct white patches on wings. Red Crossbill is smaller and has forked tail.

Flight Pattern

Shallow undulations with series of rapid wing beats., Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings drawn to sides.
Pine Grosbeak Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Pine Grosbeak: Breeds from Alaska east to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and south in the western mountains to California and Arizona. Spends winters south to the Dakotas and New York but may go farther south to southern Canada and northern United States. Prefers open coniferous forests and forest edges. Winters in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests; also found in shade trees in villages and in suburbs where it looks for food.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationFairly common in coniferous range
MigrationNorthern birds migrate
Weight2 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
Undertail covertsX
Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.
FaceX
The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.
RumpX
The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX