Pine Grosbeak

Pine Grosbeak
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: Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Passeriformes : Fringillidae : Pinicola : enucleator
Binomial name
Pinicola enucleator (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Pine Grosbeak, Pinicola enucleator, is a large finch.

Adults have a long forked black tail, black wings with white wing bars and a large bill. Adult males have a rose red head, back and rump. Adult females are olive-yellow on the head and rump and grey on the back and underparts.

Their breeding habitat is coniferous woods across Canada, Alaska and the western mountains of the United States. They nest on a horizontal branch or in a fork of a conifer.

This bird is a permanent resident through most of its range; in the extreme north or when food sources are scarce, they may migrate further south.

This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.

These birds forage in trees and bushes. They mainly eat seeds, buds, berries and insects. Outside of the nesting season, they often feed in flocks.