Species BirdsBlack-headed Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

CommonBird
Illustration of Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)

The Black-headed Grosbeak is the western counterpart of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and hybridizes with it where their ranges meet in the Great Plains. The male has a black head and cinnamon-orange body, the female's heavy bill and pale supercilium distinguishing her from other large finches. It is one of very few migratory birds that regularly eats monarch butterflies, apparently tolerating the toxic cardenolides.

Habitat
Deciduous and mixed forests, riparian areas, and forest edges
Diet
Seeds, insects, berries, and monarch butterflies
How common
Common

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