Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
- 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 →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Black-headed Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Pyrrhuloxia
Cardinalis sinuatus
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Lazuli Bunting
Passerina amoena
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Varied Bunting
Passerina versicolor
Dickcissel
Spiza americana
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
Hepatic Tanager
Piranga flava
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Saguaro National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rose-breasted Grosbeak sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 100 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Saguaro National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.