The Black-headed Grosbeak is a handsome bird with a lovely melodious song that I never tire of listening to. In spring these birds return from their wintering grounds in Central America to nest in the western half of North America. Their strong bill helps them to crack thick seeds and crush hard-bodied beetles and snails. They also dine on monarch butterflies, whose toxins make them poisonous and inedible to most other bird species.
I began watching this pair of Grosbeak in May as they built their nest in a healthy stand of aspen trees near a gurgling creek. In early June their chicks hatched and they were busy foraging in the nearby forest for insects to feed their four ravenous nestlings. The video below shows both mom and pop feeding the 4 hungry chicks.
Learn more about this species on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website.
More Bird Resources on this Website
Here are some more stories, videos, and bird sketching resources I’ve written in the past.
My Costa Rica Birding Big (sketching) Day
How to Draw Hummingbirds (video)
Identifying Warblers in the Spring
Blue-winged Warbler
Did You Enjoy This Story?
If you’ve found value in this story and believe in my mission to educate youth and adults alike on the value of nature, I invite you to make a donation to help broaden and deepen the work I can accomplish.
Click the Paypal ‘Donate’ button below to donate any amount you wish to support the conservation and education work I do. You don’t need to have a Paypal account to donate, you may also choose to use a credit card, or simply send put a check in the mailbox if you wish. Thank you!