Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyCardinalidae (Cardinals and Allies)
- GenusPheucticus (Pheucticus Grosbeaks)
- SpeciesPheucticus ludovicianus (Rose-breasted Grosbeak)
About the Rose-breasted Grosbeak
The rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), colloquially called "cut-throat" due to its coloration, is a large, seed-eating grosbeak in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). It is primarily a foliage gleaner. Males have black heads, wings, backs, and tails, and a bright rose colored patch on their white breast. Males and females exhibit marked sexual dimorphism.
Breeding habitat consists of cool-temperate open deciduous woods throughout much of eastern North America, with migration to tropical America in winter. Rose-breasted grosbeaks have an average maximum lifespan of 7.3 years in the wild, and up to 24 years in captivity. Death in the wild is generally due to collision with objects (buildings, cars, etc.) and predation, to eggs, nestlings and adults.
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the rose-breasted grosbeak in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Louisiana. He used the French name Le gros-bec de la Louisiane and the Latin Coccothraustes Ludoviciana. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca
Black-headed Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus
Hepatic Tanager
Piranga flava
Red-headed Tanager
Piranga erythrocephala
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Flame-colored Tanager
Piranga bidentata
Varied Bunting
Passerina versicolor
Lazuli Bunting
Passerina amoena
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Yellow-eyed Junco
Junco phaeonotus
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.