Blue Grosbeak
(Passerina caerulea)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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| NatureServe | N5B - Secure Breeding SNRB - Unranked Breeding |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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Male upper parts and underparts are deep blue. The bill is large, cone-shaped, and pale gray. There is black aroud the base of the bill. The wings are black with two rusty wing bars. The female is brown with a white throat, rusty wing bars, a small blue patch on the shoulder, and a blue wash on the rump. |
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Size |
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6″ to 7½″ in length 11″ wingspan |
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Voice |
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Similar Species |
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| Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) is smaller. There are no wing bars. The bill is much smaller. | ||
Habitat |
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Areas with thick shrubs, scattered trees, and open areas; riparian woodlands, weedy old fields. |
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Ecology |
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Migration |
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Nesting |
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Nests in dense tangle in a low bush or tree, 4 to 13 feet off the ground, often at the edge of an opening. |
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Food |
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Mostly insects, but also spiders, seeds, and fruits. Occasionally visits feeders. |
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Distribution |
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Occurrence |
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Rare migrant and breeder The nesting range of this species barely extends into the southwest corner of Minnesota, with accidental sightings east to the Twin Cities metro area. The range is expanding northward and eastward, possibly due to warming climate. |
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Maps |
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The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
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Taxonomy |
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| Class | Aves (birds) | ||
Order |
Passeriformes (perching birds) | ||
Family |
Cardinalidae (cardinals and allies) | ||
Genus |
Passerina (varied buntings) | ||
This species was originally (1758) named by Linnaeus Coccothraustes caerulea. In 1886 the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) named it Loxia caerulea. In 1998 the AOU transferred it to a monotypic genus and it became Guiraca caerulea. Mitochondrial DNA analysis in 2001 showed that it belongs in the genus with the buntings, and in 2002 it became Passerina caerulea. |
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Subordinate Taxa |
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Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea chiapensis) Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea deltarhyncha) Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea eurhyncha) Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea lazula) Eastern Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea caerulea) California Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea salicaria) Western Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea interfusa) |
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Synonyms |
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Guiraca caerulea |
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Visitor Photos |
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Jonathan Strandjord |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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| Blue Grosbeak Allen Chartier |
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| Blue Grosbeak JMC Nature Photos |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this bird. |
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Other Videos |
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| Burung Master : Kicauan Merdu Burung Blue Grosbeak (Passerina Caerulea) Kicau Burung |
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About
Published on Feb 22, 2014 Kumpulan Video Kicau Mania : http://www.youtube.com/user/KicauBurungku Si Emprit Biru. Hahahahah.... Penampilan blue grosbeak memang mirip kardinal merah. Perbedaan hanya warna hitam di bagian topeng lebih sempit dan tipis. Blue grosbeak termasuk burung migran yang berhabitat di sebagian besar wilayah selatan Amerika Serikat dan wilayah utara Meksiko. Pada bulan April, mereka biasanya melakukan migrasi ke selatan, menuju negara-negara di Amerika Tengah. Sama seperti kardinal merah, sexing blue grosbeak juga relatif mudah dilakukan, karena burung jantan dan betina dewasa memiliki perbedaan yang signifikan baik ukuran tubuh dan warna bulu. Google translation: The Emprit Blue. Hahahahah .... Grosbeak blue appearance is similar to a red cardinal. The difference is only in black in the mask part is narrower and thinner. Blue Grosbeak including migratory birds berhabitat in most areas of the southern United States and northern Mexico. In April, they usually migrate south to countries in Central America. Just as cardinal red, blue sexing Grosbeak is also relatively easy to do, because the males and adult females have significant differences both body size and coat color. |
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| Blue Grosbeak - Cape May, New Jersey Greg Gard |
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About
Uploaded on May 16, 2011 Passerina caerulea Cape May Point State Park Video captured with Canon EOS 7D + 500mm lens + 1.4 extender at 1920x1080 resolution |
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| Blue Grosbeak, Koll Center Wetlands (Oregon), 29 April 2015 Cyanocitta2 |
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About
Published on May 1, 2015 This male Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) was found by a local photographer and identified by Dwight Porter on 29 April 2015 at Koll Center Wetlands, Beaverton, Oregon. Bizarrely, it foraged in the strip of lawn between a sidewalk and a busy road, obliging many observers who came to see it. This is only the 12th documented record of Blue Grosbeak for the state of Oregon, and the 1st for Washington County. The brownish feathers on its back and its underparts suggest it is likely a first-spring male (these would be blue in a full adult). |
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| Blue Grosbeak Singing Into The Wild |
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About
Published on Jan 2, 2014 Blue Grosbeak Singing |
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| Blue Grosbeak Jan Dolphijn |
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About
Uploaded on Apr 25, 2009 http://www.avibirds.com/euhtml/Blue_Grosbeak.html |
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Visitor Sightings |
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| Jonathan Strandjord 5/14/2019 |
Location: Flying Cloud Fields in Hennepin County |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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