Tag Archives: blue grosbeak

The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Blue Grosbeaks in North Carolina

Great to see another familiar feathered face has made its way back to North Carolina this spring, the Blue Grosbeak! I photographed this handsome earlier this week near Greensboro. He was quite content to chill out on the fence line surveying his territory. Every now and again, he’d take off to chase the females in the area before returning to his favorite spot on the wire fence overlooking the fields.



Did you know that Blue Grosbeaks are actually related to the State Bird of NC? If you look closely at his face you might see the resemblance to our local favorite, the Northern Cardinal. Although the Blue Grosbeak doesn’t share the crimson hues of the Cardinal, they are indeed of the same family of Cardinalidae. All the members of this family group have thick triangular shaped bills, good for crushing hard seeds, which make up a high percentage of their diets. Interestingly, both Grosbeaks and Cardinals will switch over to eating mainly insects (especially juicy grasshoppers for the Grosbeak) during the nesting season to provide a high protein diet for their young.

You can attract Blue Grosbeaks to your own yard by providing Black oil sunflower seed, raw peanuts, sunflower seed chips, millet and safflower seeds in your feeders.
When birding away from home, look for Grosbeaks perching on telephone wires, fence posts and on the tops of trees overlooking grassy fields containing thickets and perching on the tops of shrubs lining agricultural areas.
These beautiful birds will spend the summer in NC through mid October so you’ve got plenty of time to get out there and enjoy them this year.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Field Notes

Indigo Bunting vs. Blue Grosbeak ID

By Sally Siko

With similar colors and habitat preferences, Indigo Buntings & Blue Grosbeaks can be difficult to tell apart.
I’ve often been asked often what ID marks are helpful in differentiating the species so here are a couple of notes which may help you in the field.

Indigo Bunting


-Indigo Bunting-
*Male and female Indigo Buntings lack wingbars. Adult male wings are entirely blue with black points.
*Indigo Buntings have a much smaller, narrower, pointy beak.
*The head of an Indigo Buntings is rounded, smaller and more delicate.

Blue Grosbeak


-Blue Grosbeak
*Male Blue Grosbeaks have two rusty colored wingbars. While not as pronounced as on the males, the tan-colored females will also show two brownish wingbars.
*Similar to Northern Cardinals, Blue Grosbeaks have a large, heavy triangular shaped bill, the top edge of which nearly forms a straight line into the forehead.
*The head of a Blue Grosbeaks is large and squared off giving them a decidedly block-headed appearance.

Bonus Tip!
Size: The average Blue Grosbeak is nearly twice the weight of an Indigo Bunting.
This is something you’ll notice if you happen to see both species in the same day.


Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

Indigo Bunting and Blue Grosbeak species comparison

One of my favorite places to visit during late summer is the Art Park at the NCMA in Raleigh North Carolina. Along with the wide array of colors in flower fields there are plenty of beautiful birds to be found here too.
Two species which are particularly common in the area are the Indigo Bunting and the Blue Grosbeak.
Even on a cloudy day, these gorgeous azure hued birds are absolutely stunning when viewing them at close range.

With similar colors and habitat preferences, Indigo Buntings & Blue Grosbeaks can be difficult to tell apart.
I’ve often been asked often what ID marks are helpful in differentiating the species so here are a couple of notes which may help you in the field.


-Indigo Bunting-(1st photo)
*Male and female Indigo Buntings lack wingbars. Adult male wings are entirely blue with black points.
*Indigo Buntings have a much smaller, narrower, pointy beak.
*The head of an Indigo Buntings is rounded, smaller and more delicate.


-Blue Grosbeak-(2nd photo)
*Male Blue Grosbeaks have two rusty colored wingbars. While not as pronounced as on the males, the tan-colored females will also show two brownish wingbars.
*Similar to Northern Cardinals, Blue Grosbeaks have a large, heavy triangular shaped bill, the top edge of which nearly forms a straight line into the forehead.
*The head of a Blue Grosbeaks is large and squared off giving them a decidedly block-headed appearance.

Bonus Tip!
Size: The average Blue Grosbeak is nearly twice the weight of an Indigo Bunting.
This is something you’ll notice if you happen to see both species in the same day.
If you’d like to test your ID skills in telling these blue beauties apart, the North Carolina Museum of Art Park is an excellent place to do this!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Blue Grosbeaks in North Carolina

Great to see another familiar feathered face has made its way back to North Carolina this spring, the Blue Grosbeak!
I photographed this handsome male a few days ago at Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh. He was quite content to chill out on the fence line surveying his territory. Every now and again, he’d take off to chase the females in the area before returning to his favorite spot overlooking the fields.



Did you know that Blue Grosbeaks are actually related to the State Bird of NC?
If you look closely at his face you might see the resemblance to our local favorite, the Northern Cardinal. Although the Blue Grosbeak doesn’t share the crimson hues of the Cardinal, they are indeed of the same family of Cardinalidae.

All the members of this family group have thick triangular shaped bills, good for crushing hard seeds, which make up a high percentage of their diets. Interestingly, both Grosbeaks and Cardinals will switch over to eating mainly insects (especially juicy grasshoppers for the Grosbeak) during the nesting season to provide a high protein diet for their young.

You can attract Blue Grosbeaks to your own yard by providing Black oil sunflower seed, raw peanuts, sunflower seed chips, millet and safflower seeds in your feeders.
Speaking of backyard birds, check out my contribution at Redfin.com where I share some tips on how to attract a wide variety of species to your yard.

https://www.redfin.com/blog/how-to-attract-birds-to-your-backyard/

It’s always nice to have one of these beauties show up at home!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

How to tell an Indigo Bunting apart from a Blue grossbeak

Have you ever wondered how to tell an Indigo Bunting apart from a Blue Grosbeak?
Both species are both found here in central N.C. They share a common habitat preference too (open fields and thickets at the edge of the woods) thus these similar looking birds are often confused for the other.
Here’s a quick list of points to consider when trying to asses the ID of these azure hued feathered gems.

Indigo Bunting



-Indigo Bunting-
*Male and female Indigo Buntings lack wingbars. Adult male wings are entirely blue with black points.
*Indigo Buntings have a much smaller, pointy beak.
*The head of an Indigo Buntings is rounded, smaller and more delicate.

Blue Grosbeak



-Blue Grosbeak-
*Male Blue Grosbeaks have two rusty colored wingbars. While not as pronounced as on the males, the tan-colored females will also show two brownish wingbars.
*Similar to Northern Cardinals, Blue Grosbeaks have a large, heavy triangular shaped bill, the top edge of which nearly forms a straight line into the forehead.
*The head of a Blue Grosbeaks is large and squared off giving them a decidedly block-headed appearance.

Size: The average Blue Grosbeak is nearly twice the weight of an Indigo Bunting.
This is something you’ll notice if you happen to see both species in the same day.
A good place to do this is at the Mid Pines Rd. dog leg on the agricultural campus of N.C. State University near Yates Mill Park in Raleigh.
Another great spot to view both species is the Art Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Fledgling Blue Grosbeaks at the Mid Pines rd. dogleg in raleigh, N.C.

Got up early this morning and headed out to go birding at the Mid Pines Rd. dog leg in Raleigh N.C. before it got too hot outside.
It seemed like a good plan but that sun was relentless beating down on those open fields.
Happily, the trip yielded a find of a family of Blue Grosbeaks that made every second of standing in that heat totally worth it in my book!

I was able to photograph the adult male and his mate as well as their two male youngsters.
They were surprisingly tame and allowed me to view them at a relatively close range as they foraged in the shady brush.

Blue Grosbeaks call central North Carolina home from mid-spring to early fall.
Courtship and mating occurs in the spring and early summer.
Their nests are usually built in small trees, shrubs or tangles of vines, briars or other types of brushy vegetation.
Four eggs are laid which will hatch in about 11 to 12 days. Both parents take care of the nestlings from sun up to sun down.
The chicks fledge as little as 10 days and I’m estimating (based on their plumage color, length and coverage ) that the ones I’ve photographed here are around 17-20 days old.
Aren’t they lovely?
🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Blue Grosbeaks at the Mid Pines Rd. dogleg, Raleigh

Blue Grosbeak

Caught a glimpse of a male Blue Grosbeak in the rain at Mid Pines Rd. in Raleigh N.C. early this morning.
These lovely blue birds are relatives of another brightly colored familiar backyard favorite, the Northern Cardinal. Both species belong to the subfamilies Cardinalinae, of the finch family (Fringillidae), which is the largest of all North American bird families.



They are fond of insects, seeds and berries alike and can be enticed to visit your own yard by providing black oil sunflower seed and canary seed in your feeders.
If you’d like to go the extra mile to attract these gorgeous birds, plant shrubs and fruit bearing trees in your yard too!

Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds