Scientific Name:   Pheucticus ludovicianus

Length:   7.1-8.3 in (18-21 cm)

Weight:   1.4-1.7 oz (39-49 g)

Wingspan:   11.4-13.0 in (29-33 cm)

Nest:   The nest, which is on a tree branch, over vines or any elevated woody vegetation. Nests have been recorded at 2.6 to 54.8 off the ground, averaging 20 f high, almost always in the vicinity of openings in woodlands. Nests are typical of many perching birds in both construct, material and size, made from leaves, twigs, rootlets or hair.

Eggs:   3-5, typically 4. Pale greenish blue, spotted with reddish brown. Incubation is by both parents, 13-14 days.

Feeding Behavior:   They forage in shrubs or trees for insects, seeds and berries, also catching insects in flight and occasionally eating nectar. It usually keeps to the treetops, and only rarely can be seen on the ground. They eat blackberries, mulberries, seeds of smartweed, pigweed, raspberries, and milkweed, in addition to sunflower seeds, garden peas, oats, wheat, tree blossoms, and tree buds.

Young:   Both parents feed the nestlings. Young leave nest about 9-12 days after hatching. Male may care for fledglings while female begins a new nest.

Range:   The rose-breasted grosbeak's breeding habitat is open deciduous woods across most of Canada and the northeastern United States. In particular, the northern birds migrate south through the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, to winter from central-southern Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean to Peru and Venezuela. They migrate south in late September or in October, and return in late April or early May.

Brief Description:   The adult male in breeding plumage has a black head, wings, back, and tail, and a bright rose-red patch on its breast; the wings have two white patches and rose-red linings. Its underside and rump are white. Males in nonbreeding plumage have largely white underparts, head feathers, and cheeks. The upper side feathers have brown fringes, and most wing feathers white ones, giving a scaly appearance.