Bird guide · Pheucticus melanocephalus
Black-headed Grosbeak
What the black-headed grosbeak eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Migrant
- Size
- 7.5 in (19 cm)
- Eats
- black oil sunflower, fruit
- Feeds
- hopper, tray/platform
- Most common
- Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona
Food
What do black-headed grosbeaks eat?
At feeders, black-headed grosbeaks take black oil sunflower, fruit.
Forages mostly in shrubs and trees, sometimes on the ground.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do black-headed grosbeaks live?
Common nesting bird of western foothills and riverside woods; winters in Mexico. By share of all bird sightings, black-headed grosbeaks are most common in Oregon (0.6%).
States where black-headed grosbeaks are most common
- Oregon0.6%
- New Mexico0.6%
- Arizona0.6%
- Utah0.5%
- Washington0.5%
- Idaho0.4%
- Wyoming0.4%
- Montana0.4%
- Colorado0.3%
- California0.3%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are black-headed grosbeaks, 2019–2024.
Season
When can you see the black-headed grosbeak?
Migrant. Across the US, sightings start in April, peak in June and fade out in September.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are black-headed grosbeaks, by month.
Identification
How to identify the black-headed grosbeak
Male: Black head, orange-brown body and black-and-white wings.
Female: Like female Rose-breasted but more orange below with less streaking.
Size: 7.5 in (19 cm)
On camera
Getting the black-headed grosbeak on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Black-headed Grosbeak: questions
What do black-headed grosbeaks eat?
At feeders, black oil sunflower, fruit.
Do black-headed grosbeaks migrate?
Migrant. Across the US, sightings start in April, peak in June and fade out in September.
Where do black-headed grosbeaks live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Washington. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia.
What does a female black-headed grosbeak look like?
Like female Rose-breasted but more orange below with less streaking.
More birds