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Common Nesting Birds

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Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)


Photo © Mike Wisnicki

Black-headed Grosbeak eggs

Photo © RenĂ© Corado

Black-headed Grosbeak nest

Photo © RenĂ© Corado

Adult male

Photo © Bridget Spencer / Macaulay Library

Female/immature

Photo © Diane Stinson / Macaulay Library

Adult male

Photo © Marlene Cashen / Macaulay Library

Female/immature

Photo © Eric Ellingson / Macaulay Library

Female/immature

Photo © Jerry Ting / Macaulay Library

Adult male

Photo © Robert Hamilton / Macaulay Library

Female/immature

Photo © Richard Bunn / Macaulay Library

Female/immature

Photo © Jim Merritt / Macaulay Library

Adult male

Photo © Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library

Adult male

Photo © Curtis Mahon / Macaulay Library

Song

© Thomas G. Sander / Macaulay Library

Song

© Randolph Little / Macaulay Library

Song

© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library

Song

© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library

Calls

© Bruce Rideout / Macaulay Library

Female calls

© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library

Flight calls

© Robert C. Stein / Macaulay Library

When To Look

Source: Birds of the World

Where To Find It

Habitats

forest

river

Substrates

Live Tree Branch

Bush or Shrub

What You'll Find

Nest Type

cup

Chick

Altricial

Clutch Size

2
5

Nest Height

12 ft
6 ft

Nesting Statistics

Incubation Period

12-14
days

Brooding Period

10-14
days

Useful Hints

  • Black-headed Grosbeak nests are widely reported to be so thinly constructed that eggs can be seen through the bottom.
  • The male Black-headed Grosbeak shares about equally with the female in incubating eggs and feeding young.
  • Nests are typically placed in the outer branches of a small deciduous tree or bush near a stream.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cornell Lab of Ornithology