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Blue Grosbeak
Guiraca caerulea
At-a-Glance
• Incubation: 11-12 days
• Clutch Size: 3-5 eggs
• Young Fledge: 9-10 days after hatching
• Typical Foods: insects and seeds
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Description
Male grosbeaks are a beautiful, deep, dull blue color, with a thick silvery bill and two broad rusty wing bars. The female is brown; lighter in color below. She also has two rich buff wing bars, and the rump is tinged with blue. She is about the size of a brown-headed cowbird.
Habitat and Habits
The blue grosbeak inhabits open country interspersed with brushy thickets and overgrown fencerows. A southern species, this grosbeak is rare and uncommon in Ohio, and most likely to be found in the tier of counties that border the Ohio River. However, they are expanding northward and sightings are increasing. This bird has a rapid, rich warbling that is reminiscent of a purple finch, a species that would never occur alongside blue grosbeaks, as their habitat and range is very different.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
The nest is a loose cup of grass, weed stems, and leaves, usually concealed in a clump of weeds. |
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