This week’s crawly is a bird you just might see or hear any day now! Meet the evening grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus).
What’s in a name?
Honestly, on this one, we just don’t know. The evening grosbeak is a reminder that common names are confusing.
You may recall we’ve previously met the black-headed grosbeak which looks similar to the evening grosbeak in size and form. Both large, brightly colored birds who visit our backyards in spring and summer (if we’re lucky).
That said, evening grosbeaks are in the Finch Family (Fringillidae) along with teeny, tiny goldfinch (pictured) and a million other finch you may see in your yard like house finch, purple finch, lesser goldfinch (birds which conveniently have “finch” right there in their names). Evening grosbeaks are the Royalty of Finches as it were, towering over their wee cousins.
Meanwhile, because again – common names – black-headed grosbeaks are in the Cardinal Family (Cardinalidae). Other local cardinal birds are lazuli bunting and western tanagers.
There are five species of grosbeak in North America: Pine, evening, red-breasted, blue and black-headed.
Three are cardinals, two are finches.
So wait, what IS in a name?
Here’s your free French lesson for the day! “Gros” means “big” in French. So yup. You guessed it, the common name these birds have in common literally means “big beak.”
If you’d like to see an evening grosbeak in person this spring you will need to become familiar with their song, so listen here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/sounds
Evening grosbeak are persnickety. Maybe they’ll show up in our area, maybe they won’t. Maybe two will chose a nice spot by the Rogue to nest, maybe 50 will show up at your feeder every day for several weeks.
Evening grosbeaks are considered year-round residents in Oregon, but they are quite nomadic and follow the food. Only they know where that will lead them.
There have been large irruptions in the Shady Cove/Trail area, but it’s been several years since we’ve had such.
Generally, if you know what to listen for (you almost always hear them, then have to go look for them!) you will find a few in April and May and maybe see them again in the fall if they stay nearby to nest.
Your best chance at wooing them to your yard (if only in passing) is by putting out a platform feeder with black-oil sunflower seed. They love those seeds and because of their size they enjoy an open feeder over a hopper type feeder.
When not eating, they like to hang out at the tippy top of the tallest trees where their bright coloration makes for excellent camo with spring green leaves and dappled sunlight.
Early English settlers dubbed the evening grosbeak “evening” because they mistakenly thought the birds came out around dusk to sing. If you’ve ever had a flock in your yard, you know they are more the “dawn chorus” types. They’ll start filling the treetops with their “burry chirps” around dawn.
They are also quite chatty throughout the day, but really go in for a full opera-length performance in the early a.m.
Unlike many birds, evening grosbeak don’t have a formal song, so to woo a mate a male must have the moves!
The male performs a dance for the female, swiveling back and forth with raised head and tail and drooping, vibrating wings. Partners alternately bow to each other, and the male will offer food to his mate. Who said romance was dead?
Evening grosbeaks love of the “high life” in the treetops extends to their nests which are built high in our tallest trees like ponderosa pine, white cedar and Douglas fir. The female does most of the nest building, but the males do a lot of the feeding even after the three to five kiddos are big enough to fly on their own.
Fingers (feathers?) crossed that you get to at least hear and hopefully see one of these spectacularly beautiful members of Finch Royalty in the coming months.