Blue Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak, adult male; Chambers Co., TX; April

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Blue Grosbeak, adult female; Chambers Co. TX; April

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A beautiful blue bird with silvery bill and chestnut wingbars, the Blue Grosbeak is an uncommon bird of shrubby habitats across the southern United States.

Description

• Medium-sized songbird.
• Large silver-gray bill.
• Male deep blue with two brown wingbars.
• Female mostly brown with two brown wingbars.

• Size: 15-16 cm (6-6 in)
• Wingspan: 28 cm (11 in)
• Weight: 26-31 g (0.92-1.09 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male is mostly deep blue; female is brown.

Sound

Song is a long continuous musical warble, similar to that of Indigo Bunting but without paired phrases. Call is a low buzzy "bzzt" or a loud metallic "tink."

Conservation Status

Populations stable or increasing. Range has expanded northward since early 20th century. Brown-headed Cowbird commonly lays its own eggs in Blue Grosbeak nests; specific effects on populations not documented.

Other Names

Guiraca bleue (French)
Piquirgrueso azul, Ruiz azul grande (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Blue Grosbeak formerly was placed in its own genus, Guiraca. Similarities with buntings in genetics, behavior, molts, and plumages led to its inclusion in the bunting genus Passerina. Genetic evidence indicates that the Lazuli Bunting is its closest relative.
• In the southern part of its breeding range, the Blue Grosbeak commonly raises two broods per year.

Sources used to construct this page:

1. Banks, R. C., et al. 2002. Forty-third supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 119: 897-906.
2. Ingold, J. L. 1993. Blue Grosbeak (Guiraca caerulea ). In The Birds of North America, No. 79 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.