Rose-breasted Grosbeak by David Whited

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

David Whited

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Digital photography

Inv: MM-1575

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak (*Pheucticus ludovicianus*) is a striking songbird of eastern North American forests, with breeding males easily identified by their bold black head and back, white underparts, and a vivid triangular rose-red patch on the chest, while females and immatures are more subdued with brown streaky plumage resembling an oversized sparrow; they breed in deciduous and mixed woodlands across the northeastern and midwestern U.S. and Canada, then migrate long distances to winter in Central and South America, feeding on a varied diet of seeds, insects, berries, and buds, and are known for a rich, warbling song often likened to a "robin that took singing lessons."