Evening Grosbeak

(Coccothraustes vespertinus)

Conservation Status
Evening Grosbeak
Photo by Laurie Wachholz
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

 
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNRB, SNRN - Unranked Breeding and Nonbreeding

 
  Minnesota

not listed

Species in Greatest Conservation Need

 
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

On the male, the head is brown with a black crown; a bold, bright yellow “eyebrow”; and a very large, light-colored, cone-shaped bill. The brown on the head fades into a golden-yellow breast and back. The underparts are yellow. The wings are black with a large, broad, white, wing patch. The tail is black and short. The female has a gray head and back, black and white wings, and no “eyebrow”.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

6¼ to 8 in length

11¾ to 14wingspan

 
     
 

Voice

 
   
   
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Coniferous and mixed woodlands, sometimes also deciduous woodlands; parks; and orchards

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Migration

 
 

 

 
     
 

Nesting

 
 

 

 
     
 

Food

 
 

Mostly seeds, especially from pine and spruce cones, but also insects, especially spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana).

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Occurrence

 
 

Uncommon year-round resident in northern Minnesota; absent in the south

 
         
 

Maps

 
 

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Class Aves (birds)  
 

Order

Passeriformes (perching birds)  
 

Family

Fringillidae (finches, euphonias, and allies)  
 

Genus

Coccothraustes (holarctic grosbeaks)  
       
 

The International Ornithologists’ Union (IOU) classifies the Evening Grosbeak as Hesperiphona vespertina, and the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) as Coccothraustes vespertinus. The AOU is the final authority for names of North American birds used in North America. Most, but not all, U.S. sources use Coccothraustes vespertinus. All other sources use Hesperiphona vespertina.

 
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

Western Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus brooksi)

Mexican Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus)

Eastern Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus vespertinus)

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Hesperiphona vespertina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Bobbi Johnson

 
 

Saw these two in my crab apple this morning.

 
    Evening Grosbeak   Evening Grosbeak  
 

Luciearl

 
    Evening Grosbeak   Evening Grosbeak  
           
    Evening Grosbeak      
 

Laurie Wachholz

 
    Evening Grosbeak      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Evening Grosbeak
JMC Nature Photos
 
  Evening Grosbeak  
  gros bec errant- evening grosbeak
Richard et Diane
 
  gros bec errant- evening grosbeak  

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Evening Grosbeaks Glow In Sunlight – Feb. 2, 2018
Cornell Lab Bird Cams
 
   
 
About

Published on Feb 2, 2018

The late morning sunlight accentuates the bright yellow plumage of Evening Grosbeaks on the Ontario FeederWatch cam.

Watch online with highlight clips and information about the birds at http://allaboutbirds.org/feederwatchcam

Thanks to Perky-Pet for helping to make the Ontario FeederWatch Cam possible!

The FeederWatch cam is located in a residential neighborhood in Manitouwadge, Ontario. This northern site is an excellent location to see winter finches like redpolls and grosbeaks as well as two species of Jays and even Ruffed Grouse! The feeders sit in the middle of a large backyard with a large birch tree that the birds love, as well as a mixed stand of conifers and several fruit and berry producing shrubs. There’s a small swamp just beyond the backyard as well as larger stands of woods and a small lake.The feeder system is the product of the camera hosts’ ingenuity, making use of plastic piping to support the feeders high enough above ground to foil the occasional squirrel, and a rotating set of feeders that provide black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seed, whole and shelled peanuts, and peanut butter suet in a homemade hanging log to the dozens of species that visit.

About the Hosts
Tammie and Ben Hache have been members of Project FeederWatch since 2002, meticulously counting their backyard birds to help better understand what birds are doing throughout the winter. The years of FeederWatching have brought amazing views to the Haches; some of the highlights included counts with over 200 Evening Grosbeaks seen at once, high counts of 20+ Hoary Redpolls, an extremely out-of-range White-winged Dove, and the constant buzzing of hummingbirds in the summer. A winter of bird feeding requires a lot of food, too—last year over 750 lb of sunflower seeds were consumed by the hungry birds!

About Project FeederWatch
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Anyone with an interest in birds can participate in Project FeederWatch! There are people of all skill levels and backgrounds conducting FeederWatch counts, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs.

Learn more and sign up online at http://feederwatch.org

   
  Evening Grosbeak
Larry Jordan
 
   
 
About

Published on Mar 14, 2011

Evening Grosbeak singing from a perch in an oak tree with several other species heard in the background.

   
  Evening Grosbeaks, Domke Lake, WA
Bill Pugel
 
   
 
About

Published on Jul 11, 2010

A flock of 20+ Evening Grosbeaks feeding, or just eating gravel, at Domke Lake, WA.

   
  Evening Grosbeaks
LesleytheBirdNerd
 
   
 
About

Published on Oct 17, 2014

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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  Bobbi Johnson
4/22/2023

Location: Location: Silver Bay, MN

Saw these two in my crab apple this morning.

Evening Grosbeak  
  Luciearl
3/1/2021

Location: Cass County

Evening Grosbeak  
  Luciearl
3/1/2021

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Evening Grosbeak  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

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Created: 2/12/2019

Last Updated:

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