Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

At My Feeders: Rose-breasted Grosbeak

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At My Feeders:  Rose-breasted Grosbeak

The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks migrate through Georgia in the spring (heading north) and again in the fall (heading south).  They typically show up here (Emerson, GA) in mid-April and late-September.  They will hang around for two to three weeks before continuing on their way.

As is true in most birds, the male is brightly colored and the female is relatively plain-colored.  The male is easily identified by the color density of his black and white feathering … and the patch of bright, red feathers on his chest.  When trying to identify a female Rose-breasted, look for the distinct white eyebrow and the thick beak characteristic of all Grosbeaks.  In fact, Grosbeak comes from the French zoologist who originally described them in 1760.  In French gros-bec = gross (large) beak.

Grosbeaks are members of the same family as the more familiar Northern Cardinal.  Not surprisingly, they share the same large beak structure and attraction to black oil seed (which is easily cracked open by these “crushing beaks”).  I often see the Grosbeaks feeding along side our Cardinals — so pay attention to the Cardinals in mid-April and late-September.  You might find a Grosbeak hanging out with them.

The first photo shows an adult male and female Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the feeder.  The second photo shows a juvenile male.  Note how the young male is transforming from his drab birth colors to his adult coloration.  He makes it pretty clear he is a cross between his male and female parents!

Male and Female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
Male and Female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

 

Juvenile Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Juvenile Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

 

At My Feeders: Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Grosbeak Breast Snow White in IR Light

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What makes the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak's red breast - red - rather suddenly became a matter of much curiosity for me.

I had turned on the camera video feed as I sat down with my morning coffee.  A Grosbeak was on the tray feeder when it hit me -- his chest was pure white.

The camera was still in night infra-red mode (black and white), but I would expect to see at least a grey splotch where the red is supposed to be.  Could I have another Grosbeak with a color aberration?

Male Grosbeak With White Chest

Moments later, the camera switched into daylight mode.  The Grosbeak's red breast lit up.  I would love to tell you why, but I don't know, nor could I find any articles giving me a definitive answer.  Someone who knows more about infra-red may be able to say it is about the Grosbeak's exact color of red and the technical qualities of IR light.  The other possibility is that the Grosbeak falls among the many birds whose color is not actually due to pigment.  Birds in this group get their color from the structure of their feathers and how these feathers reflect light.  Bluebirds are an example.  They appear blue to us because of how the structure of their feathers reflect light.

I'm going to reach out to Cornell Lab or Ornithology for an answer on the Grosbeak.  When I get an answer, I'll add it to the comments of this post.

Here's the color transformation captured on video ...

 

Stand-by for the Chickadee and "Rural" Bluebirds to fledge -- probably by the next post.