Blue Grosbeak
Blue GrosbeakBlue GrosbeakBlue Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak

Passerina caerulea

Silhouette: Jonah Duckles · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Big Bend National Park
1,209 Verified sightings at Big Bend National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,536 Verified sightings across all 55 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Blue Grosbeak

The blue grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) is a medium-sized North American passerine bird in the cardinal family Cardinalidae. It is mainly migratory, wintering in Central America and breeding in northern Mexico and the southern United States. The male is blue with two brown wing bars. The female is mainly brown with scattered blue feathers on the upperparts and two brown wing bars.

The blue grosbeak was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia caerulea. The specific epithet caerulea is the Latin word for "blue", "azure-blue", "sky-blue" or "dark-blue". Linnaeus based his own description on the "blew gross-beak" described and illustrated by Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. The book had been published in 1729–1732. Catesby gave the location as Carolina and Linnaeus specified America. The type location is now restricted to South Carolina.

Some taxonomists placed the blue grosbeak in its own monotypic genus Guiraca but in 2001 a molecular phylogenetic study of mitochondrial DNA sequences found that the blue grosbeak, in spite... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Big Bend National Park

Painted Bunting
LC

Painted Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina ciris

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Varied Bunting
LC

Varied Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina versicolor

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Lazuli Bunting
LC

Lazuli Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina amoena

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Indigo Bunting
LC

Indigo Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina cyanea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pyrrhuloxia
LC

Pyrrhuloxia

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis sinuatus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis cardinalis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Summer Tanager
LC

Summer Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piranga rubra

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Black-headed Grosbeak
LC

Black-headed Grosbeak

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Western Tanager
LC

Western Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piranga ludoviciana

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Hepatic Tanager
LC

Hepatic Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piranga flava

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
LC

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Dickcissel
LC

Dickcissel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spiza americana

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
2 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
3 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
5 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
7 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
8 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
9 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
10 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
11 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
12 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
13 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
14 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
17 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
18 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
20 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
<5%
21 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
22 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
23 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
24 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
26 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
27 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
28 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
29 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
30 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
31 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
32 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
35 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
36 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
37 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
38 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
39 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
40 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
41 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
42 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
43 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
44 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
45 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
46 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
Insufficient data
47 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
48 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
49 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
50 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
51 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
52 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
53 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
54 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
55 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Blue Grosbeak in Big Bend National Park?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Grosbeak sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 1,209 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Blue Grosbeak in Big Bend National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Blue Grosbeak in Big Bend National Park in our monthly data.

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