General

Blue Grosbeak: Large finch with bright purple-blue body, black face, and two wide, brown wingbars. Female and juvenile are brown with occasional blue feathers on upperparts.

Range and Habitat

Blue Grosbeak: Breeds from California, Idaho, North Dakota, Illinois, and New Jersey southward through much of the United States in into northern Mexico. Winters in the tropics from coastal Mexico and the West Indies south into South America. Preferred habitats include brushy, moist pastures, and roadside thickets.

Breeding and Nesting

Blue Grosbeak: Three to five light blue eggs, sometimes marked with brown, are laid in a loose cup of grass, weed stems, and leaves concealed in a clump of weeds. Incubation ranges from 11 to 12 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Blue Grosbeak: Diet consists mostly of insects and seeds gleaned from the ground; occasionally eats fruits. Flocks sometimes feed in grain fields or grasslands before migration.

Vocalization

Blue Grosbeak: Song is a sweet, jumbled warble. Call is a metallic "klink."

Similar Species

Blue Grosbeak: Indigo Bunting is smaller and lacks brown wingbars.