Bird guide · Coccothraustes vespertinus
Evening Grosbeak
What the evening grosbeak eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Irruptive; large numbers move far south in some winters.
- Size
- 7.5 in (19 cm)
- Eats
- sunflower seeds
- Feeds
- tray/platform, hopper
- Most common
- Montana, Oregon, Idaho
Food
What do evening grosbeaks eat?
At feeders, evening grosbeaks take sunflower seeds.
Descends on feeders in noisy flocks and eats prodigious amounts of sunflower seed.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do evening grosbeaks live?
Western mountains and the north (east to New England); irregular further south in winter. By share of all bird sightings, evening grosbeaks are most common in Montana (0.5%).
States where evening grosbeaks are most common
- Montana0.5%
- Oregon0.2%
- Idaho0.2%
- New Mexico0.2%
- Colorado0.2%
- Wyoming0.1%
- Washington0.1%
- Vermont0.1%
- New Hampshire0.10%
- Minnesota0.09%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are evening grosbeaks, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the evening grosbeak migrate?
Irruptive; large numbers move far south in some winters.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in May.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are evening grosbeaks, by month.
Identification
How to identify the evening grosbeak
Male: Grey and gold with a big pale bill, yellow eyebrow on a dark head and a big white patch in black wings.
Female: Grey and gold with the white wing patch but no yellow eyebrow.
Size: 7.5 in (19 cm)
Easily confused with
- American Goldfinch – much smaller bill
On camera
Getting the evening 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
Evening Grosbeak: questions
What do evening grosbeaks eat?
At feeders, sunflower seeds.
Do evening grosbeaks migrate?
Irruptive; large numbers move far south in some winters.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in May.
Where do evening grosbeaks live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Montana, Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut.
What does a female evening grosbeak look like?
Grey and gold with the white wing patch but no yellow eyebrow.