Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus (Swainson, 1827)

47 gWeight

The black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) is a medium-sized, seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae.

Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Black-headed Grosbeak has been recorded at 307 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Madera Canyon – Santa Rita LodgeUnited States14,939 records
  2. Paton Center for HummingbirdsUnited States7,293 records
  3. Ash Canyon Bird SanctuaryUnited States7,036 records
More places
  1. Ramsey Canyon PreserveUnited States5,275 records
  2. Cave Creek Canyon – South ForkUnited States4,910 records
  3. Portal – Cave Creek RanchUnited States3,923 records
  4. Big Morongo Canyon Preserve & Covington ParkUnited States3,894 records
  5. Davis Mountains SPUnited States3,371 records
  6. Coquitlam—ƛ̓éx t m (tla-hut-um) Regional ParkCanada3,033 records
  7. Marymoor ParkUnited States2,886 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United StatesCanadaMexicoNicaragua

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) is a medium-sized, seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the rose-breasted grosbeak (P. ludovicianus) with which it hybridizes on the American Great Plains.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Black-headed Grosbeak?

The Black-headed Grosbeak weighs around 47 g.

Where does the Black-headed Grosbeak live?

Its breeding range: North America: western. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Mexico.

When is the best time to see the Black-headed Grosbeak?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Black-headed Grosbeak endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-headed Grosbeak as Least Concern.

What does the Black-headed Grosbeak eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Black-headed Grosbeak in?

It belongs to the family Cardinals & Allies (Cardinalidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
47 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
100 mm
Tail
73 mm
Bill
19 mm
Tarsus
23 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America: western

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Cardinals & Allies Cardinalidae
Genus
Pheucticus

Other birds in the genus Pheucticus

Yellow GrosbeakYellow GrosbeakPheucticus chrysopeplusBlack-thighed GrosbeakBlack-thighed GrosbeakPheucticus tibialisGolden GrosbeakGolden GrosbeakPheucticus chrysogasterBlack-backed GrosbeakBlack-backed GrosbeakPheucticus aureoventrisRose-breasted GrosbeakRose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianusFlame-colored TanagerFlame-colored TanagerPiranga bidentataTooth-billed TanagerTooth-billed TanagerPiranga luteaRed TanagerRed TanagerPiranga flavaHepatic TanagerHepatic TanagerPiranga hepaticaSummer TanagerSummer TanagerPiranga rubra
Black-headed Grosbeak

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Andrew Thomas. ↗

WebP · 1070 px

Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.

In other languages