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The Evening Grosbeak measures between 19 and 22 cm. They are stocky finches, with a very large, powerful, pale yellowish bills. Males have a brown head, which fades to yellow on the lower back, rump and under parts. The forehead and eyebrow are bright yellow, and bold white patches are on the wings. Females have similar colouring, but are much grayer in appearance.
Noisy and quarrelsome, the brightly coloured Evening Grosbeak can easily be seen along roadsides eating grit and fine gravel. This material is swallowed to help the bird grind up the seeds in their diets. A newcomer to the Algonquin Highlands’ area, the Evening Grosbeak has come into the area due to man’s alteration of the forests. New growth after logging and fires promote the growth of shrubs and plants such as Pin Cherries and Choke Cherries. With their powerful bills, they crack open the fruit with extreme force, and eat the cherry stones within, a favorite in their diet.
The Evening Grosbeak nests in coniferous trees, in a shallow, loose cup of twigs lined with rootlets. Three or four blue-green eggs are laid, each lightly speckled with brown, gray and olive. Their song consists of a series of short, musical whistles.
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EVENING GROSBEAK
Coccothraustes vespertinus
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