Susan Westall emailed me on Sunday, April 21, for help identifying a new bird at her feeders.
Susan wrote, “We spotted this bird today (April 21) around 2:45 p.m. This bird has never been to visit that we’re aware of. We didn’t find the identity.”
Susan, who noted that she resides in Marion, North Carolina, asked if I could help identify the bird. She helpfully enclosed three photographs.
One glimpse at her snapshots of the feathered visitor showed me that her mystery bird was none other than a rose-breasted grosbeak, one of the many splashy and impressive migrants that travel through Northeast Tennessee, Southwestern Virginia and Western North Carolina every spring.
Other than ruby-throated hummingbirds, the one bird whose return in the spring is guaranteed to generate excitement is the rose-breasted grosbeak. Every spring, I get phone calls and emails from people wanting to share the thrill of seeing these vibrant birds in their back yards.
A few people, like Susan, are completely stumped that such a flamboyant feathered visitor has landed in their own yard like an out-of-place inhabitant of a tropical jungle.
For most of us, these spring visits by rose-breasted grosbeaks is a fleeting and temporary stay. After finding the local arrangements, which can consist of well-stocked feeders and perhaps a convenient water source, to their liking, these migrants may linger for several days.
However, rose-treated grosbeaks nest at higher elevations and are usually impatient to continue the journey to where they will spend the summer months tending to their young.
Single birds are occasionally the first to arrive, but rose-breasted grosbeaks do form flocks when migrating. Even if a scout shows up alone at your feeders, he will often soon be joined by other grosbeaks.
Plenty of rose-breasted grosbeaks pass through the area, and a few even decide to make the region’s mountains their summer home. Rose-breasted grosbeaks spread out widely across the eastern half of the North American continent, ranging from northeastern British Columbia to Quebec and Nova Scotia in Canada. They also range south from New Jersey to Georgia. The rose-breasted grosbeak also reaches Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Farther west, the rose-breasted grosbeak is replaced by the closely related black-headed grosbeak. I saw black-headed grosbeaks on a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2006.
In many bird species males and females differ considerably. This is certainly true of male and female rose-breasted grosbeaks. The genders in this species are considered dimorphic, which is a scientific term which means that certain male and female birds of the same species may vary widely in size, plumage coloration, song or other secondary sexual traits.
They also have some things in common. Both sexes have a massive bill, which they use to hull sunflower seeds at feeders or glean insects from leaves and branches. It’s the heavy, blunt bill for which the term “grosbeak” is derived. “Gros” is a German term for large or big, so grosbeak simply means a large-beaked bird.
People who band birds to further the study of them will tell you that rose-breasted grosbeaks have a wicked bite and are capable of delivering quite a nip. Bird banders frequently encounter rose-breasted grosbeaks in their mist nets — and bear the scars to prove it.
Only the male rose-breasted grosbeak displays the namesake splash of rosy-red feathers across a white breast. The rest of the male’s plumage consists of a dramatic contrast of black and white feathers. The female grosbeak, however, doesn’t stand out in the same way. She is much less colorful than the male. With her brown and white plumage, she is often mistaken for a large sparrow or finch.
At our feeders, this bird’s extremely fond of sunflower seeds. Away from our feeders, grosbeaks feed on insects, seeds, fruit and even some leaf buds and flowers. I’ve seen these birds satisfying a sweet tooth — or should that be sweet beak? — by feeding on jewelweed flowers and apple blossoms. If sugar’s good for hummingbirds, I am sure it is a valuable energy source for rose-breasted grosbeaks, too.
The rose-breasted grosbeak is a cherished spring visitor that never fails to impress by bringing a hint of the tropics to the mountains of Northeast Tennessee. If you are disappointed in hopes of seeing the species this spring, take heart. The rose-breasted grosbeak migrates through the region again in the fall, often from mid-September to late October. The males sometimes look less vibrant by autumn, but it’s always a treat to see this bird.
I’m hoping many readers are also enjoying their own opportunities for hosting this delightful songbird.
Other songbirds are also on the move. Warblers, vireos, tanager, flycatchers, orioles and more are migrating through the region. Some will stay and make a home in the region for the summer. Others will push on beyond the Southern Appalachians. Keep your eyes open for what may show up next.
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Mark this on your schedule: Bristol Bird Club will host a presentation by Kera and George Brewster of Wild Birds Unlimited in Johnson City on Tuesday, May 21.
They couple had been scheduled to give a program at the club’s January meeting, but a snowstorm prevented it.
The club meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at The Summit at 1227 Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, Tennessee. Attendees can also join the meeting and view the program on Zoom. For a Zoom invite, email Larry McDaniel at bristolbirdclub2022@gmail.com.
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Share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment by emailing me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.