Pine grosbeaks are named for their stubby, thick bills, which they use to munch seeds and snip buds and needles off trees. Showy pink-red feathers on the male’s head, ...

When hiking through subalpine forests in Colorado, the pine grosbeak is a treat on the treeline trail. I often encounter them when hiking in the mountains near timberline at around 11,000 feet.

However, use of the name grosbeak can cause taxonomic confusion. We have four grosbeaks in Maine: the evening grosbeak, pine grosbeak, rose-breasted grosbeak, and the uncommon vagrant blue grosbeak.

There are a lot of different aspects of birding that make the activity rewarding. These include getting a great look at some species, getting a great photo, finding a rare bird, seeing a “lifer ...

There are a lot of different aspects of birding that make the activity rewarding. These include getting a great look at some species, getting a great photo, finding a rare ...

Pine grosbeaks often feed on buds of various types in winter, including new tips of spruce branches. I’ve seen them eating willow buds, and studies in Finland recorded them regularly eating ...

When the bears finally go to sleep for the winter, birdfeeders in Island Park come out with a vengeance. At our house, we smear a suet blend on a tree ...

Pine grosbeaks sometimes travel to take advantage of plentiful mast crops, even when adequate food is available in their breeding range. A 2023 study in Sweden by Svein Dale found that irruptions of ...

Evening grosbeaks and a Pine grosbeak hang out in an Onanole feeder during the Christmas Bird Count. (Connor McDowell/Brandon Sun) “You can see trends in birds,” Kingdon said.

The grosbeaks are an interesting group of birds. Here in New England, you are most likely to see rose-breasted grosbeaks, but we also have pine grosbeaks, and evening grosbeaks (blue and black ...

The grosbeaks are an interesting group of birds. Here in New England, you are most likely to see rose-breasted grosbeaks, but we also have pine grosbeaks, and evening grosbeaks (blue and black ...