A cheery and rather remarkable looking bird, with an apparent stab wound at its throat (uneven looking red plumage) contrasting its formal looking white chest and black wings. It looks as though this bird attended a dinner party gone wrong.
The bird is the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and you won’t find it at a dinner party unless you’re holding dinner parties in upland forests like 28-45 year old aspen stands or saw sized white or jack pine; what a dinner party that would be.
In Wisconsin the bird is ubiquitous throughout the state, tolerating forestry and development so long as large trees exist, though it does best in structurally complex forests of larger area.
Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak (photo via Pixabay).
Federal Breeding Bird Surveys have documented significant declines for this species, though it has continued to do well in Wisconsin. Making its way from southern Mexico on through western South America, the bird arrives in late April to early May. Amid the buzz and sparkle of warbler, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak makes a fine study for a sore neck, as the birds often sing from shrubs or sun-canopy trees.
You might find breeding pairs in the Lake Mills Ledge or Faville Woods, and the birds are abundant in migration. Don’t be shocked when you see the male, and don’t be fooled when you see the female—their enormous beak sticks out, but the females can resemble large sparrows. Look for boldly striped white on the head and the large beak to go with it.
Written by Drew Harry, Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward
Cover photo of male Rose-breasted Grosbeak by Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren
