Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator)

The Pine Grosbeak is normally a bird of the boreal forests of Canada and the mountain west of the United States. However, when food conditions are poor in their normal range, they may stage large irruptive migrations well to the south and east, including to parts of South Dakota. They have been found in scattered locations from all parts of the state, but never in very high numbers, and generally not consistently to the same locations. Closest breeding locations are in far northern Minnesota.

Habitat

Found in open conifer forest during the summer breeding season. Usually, it's spruce and fir they're found in, not pine (despite the name). In winter, they can also often be found in deciduous trees, especially trees that produce edible fruit.

Diet

Primarily feeds on plant material, especially the seeds of conifers and other trees, tree buds, fruits and berries, and occasionally the seeds of weeds and grasses. They will also eat insects when available during the summer months.

Behavior

Moves deliberately branches of trees and shrubs when foraging, often in small flocks.

Breeding

Non-breeder in South Dakota. In their breeding range, the nest of a Pine Grosbeak is typically placed in a dense evergreen tree, between 4 and 15 feet from the ground, occasionally somewhat higher. The nest is built on a foundation of twigs, weed stems, and roots, with an inner cup lined with fine grasses, lichen, moss, or hair. The female builds the nest, and lays between 2 and 5 eggs. Young hatch after about 2 weeks, and fledge from the nest after another 2 to 3 weeks.

Song

Rich, whistled warbling from the male. They also have multi-note flight calls that are variable based on location

Click here to hear the song of a male Pine Grosbeak, recorded in Finland.¹
Click here to hear the three-note call of a Pine Grosbeak, recorded on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska²
Click here to hear the twittering calls of a Pine Grosbeak from northern Norway, demonstrating the variable call notes between locations.³

Migration

Primarily a permanent resident throughout much of its range, although birds at the northern end of its range may move southward in the winter. They do sometimes make winter 'invasions' well to the south of their normal range if poor food conditions exist.

Interactive eBird Map

Click here to access an interactive eBird map of Pine Grosbeak sightings

Bird Feeders

Will attend feeders for various seeds, especially sunflower seeds.

South Dakota "Hotspot"

As rare winter visitors, there is no consistent "hotspot", but the area with the most sightings has been around Aberdeen, with sightings for multiple years at both the Mina Lake Recreation Area, and Richmond Lake State Park. Sightings have also been made in multiple years in the Pierre area, including personal sightings by myself on 2 occasions along the shores of Lake Oahe, just northwest of the dam. Overall though, Pine Grosbeaks aren't generally a species you can go out and specifically hope to find in South Dakota, unless there are specific reports that you can follow up on.

Similar Species

Coloring and bill shape are distinctive compared to some other somewhat similar species. Species most likely to be confused with a Pine Grosbeak include:

Red Crossbill - Color of an adult Red Crossbill is different, as they are more orangish-red while Pine Grosbeaks are a rosy red. The namesake bill of a Red Crossbill is crossed and longer compared to the shorter, more stout bill of a Pine Grosbeak. Red Crossbills lack the white wing bars found on Pine Grosbeaks. Male Red Crossbills are more uniformly red, while (male) Pine Grosbeaks have various amounts of gray on their belly and under their wing. Similarly, female Red Crossbills are more uniformly yellow while female Pine Grosbeaks have gray on their belly and near their wings.
White-winged Crossbill - With white wing bars and coloring similar to a Pine Grosbeak, including some gray on the male that can look like the gray belly of a Pine Grosbeak, White-winged Crossbills are the species perhaps most easily confused with Pine Grosbeak. However, White-winged Crossbills are smaller, and have the namesake crossed bill. The wings of a White-winged Crossbill are also darker than a Pine Grosbeak.
House Finch - House Finch males may have a similar rosy-red coloring, but they are considerably smaller than a Pine Grosbeak, and have extensive streaking on their belly, sides, and back that is lacking from a Pine Grosbeak. Female House Finches lack the yellowish coloring of a female Pine Grosbeak. The bill of a Pine Grosbeak is stouter than a House Finch.
Purple Finch - See comments above for House Finch. Purple finches are smaller and streakier than Pine Grosbeaks.


Red Crossbill	White-winged Crossbill	House Finch	Purple Finch

Conservation Status

Numbers appear to be decreasing in the North American portion of their range, with Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count numbers both declining over the last 40 years. The species is also found in parts of Eurasia, where population trends are less well known. Overall though they are found over a very broad geographic area and are common in parts of their range. The IUCN lists the Pine Grosbeak as a species of "least concern".

Pine Grosbeak