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Blue Grosbeak -- South Dakota Birds
| Length: 7inches | Wingspan: 11 inches | Seasonality: Summer |
| ID Keys: Extremely thick bill, rust-colored wing-bars, dark blue body (male) | ||
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Blue Grosbeak
Guiraca caerulea
The Blue Grosbeak is a denizen of thickets and brushy woodland edges. It is distinguished from the similar Indigo Bunting by its larger size, larger and thicker bill, and rust-colored wing-bars. Like many species, they have expanded their range to the north in recent decades.
Habitat: Prefers brushy low growth for breeding, preferably in semi-open country. This can include fencelines, brushy fields, streamside thickets, hedgerows, and woodland edges.
Diet: The summer diet consists of many insects and spiders, as well as seeds and occasionally snails. The winter diet consists of a greater proportion of seeds and waste grain, along with insects.
Nesting: June through August
Breeding Map: Breeding bird survey map
Song: Blue Grosbeak song
Migrations: Summers throughout much of the southern three-fourths of the U.S. Winters in Mexico and points south.
Feeders: Various seeds and grains
Similar Species: Indigo Bunting, Lazuli Bunting. See the Identification Tips page for differentiating between these species.
Status: Breeding populations have expanded northward recently. There are also some indications that they've increased in numbers throughout much of their historical range.
Further Information: 1) Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, Blue Grosbeak
2) Cornell University's "All About Birds - Blue Grosbeak"
Photo Information: June 18th, 2006 -- Minnehaha County -- Terry Sohl
Additional Photos: Click on the image chips or text links below for additional, higher-resolution Blue Grosbeak photos.
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Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl
This page was last edited on 02/03/08
