Pheucticus melanocephalus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) is a medium-sized, seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the rose-breasted grosbeak (P. ludovicianus) with which it hybridizes on the American Great Plains.
The 19 cm (7.5 in) long, 47 g (1.7 oz) black-headed grosbeak is a migratory bird, with nesting grounds from southwestern British Columbia, through the western half of the United States, into central Mexico. It occurs as a vagrant further south in Central America.
Measurements: Length: 7.1–7.5 in (18–19 cm) Weight: 1.2–1.7 oz (34–48 g) Wingspan: 12.6 inches (32 cm) The black-headed grosbeak is similar in size to a common starling. As per its name, the male has a black head, and black wings and tail with prominent white patches. Its breast is dark to tawny orange in color, and its belly is yellow. The female has a brown head, neck, and back with sparrow-like black streaks. She also has white streaks down the middle of her head, over her eyes, and on her cheeks. Her breast is white, and wings and tail are grayish-brown with two white wing bars and yellowish wing edges.
The black-headed grosbeak... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque Zoológico de León - Zooleón | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Xcaret | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Parque museo La Venta | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Grosbeak sighting in Seattle on a given day, based on 3,360 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 91st most-seen of the 271 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Grosbeak in Seattle on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months. Those are among Seattle's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in November.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed Grosbeak sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 18
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Black-headed Grosbeak sightings, Seattle ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in Toluca (México, about 40%), Mexico City (México, about 20%) and Puebla (México, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Grosbeak is recorded against all the birds logged in Seattle (3,360 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
