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Pine Grosbeak


Pine Grosbeak
Photo Information
Copyright: Mario Belanger (EOSF1) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1381 W: 126 N: 5246] (23469)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-02-20
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 40D, Canon EF 100-400 F4-5.6 L IS USM, ISO 200, B+W 77 010 UV-Haze 1 x
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/250 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes (Fill) Flash: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-09-18 20:16
Viewed: 810
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 58
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
From the archives, a Pine Gros Beak (Pinicola enucleator 20-25cm) shot last winter.

From: www.birds.cornell.edu
One of the larger members of its family, the Pine Grosbeak is a bird of the boreal forests, found across northern Eurasia and North America, and south into the mountains of western Canada and the United States. A large, unwary finch, it makes periodic winter irruptions into southern Canada and northern United States. It is the largest and rarest of the "winter finches."
Cool Facts
The tameness and slow-moving behavior of the Pine Grosbeak gave rise to local name in Newfoundland of "mope."
Winter flocks may stay near a tree with abundant fruit until all of it is consumed.
Winter irruptions are infrequent and irregular. To see an illustration of the invasion of the winter 1997-98, based on data gathered through BirdSource's Winter Finch Survey, click here.
A breeding adult Pine Grosbeak develops pouches in the floor of its mouth for carrying food to its young.
During most of the year, 99% of diet is vegetable matter, especially buds, seeds, and fruits of spruce, pine, juniper, elm, maple, mountain ash, apple, and crabapple. It feeds insects and spiders to its young, though, often mixed with plant foods. It drinks water or eats snow daily.
Description
topSize: 20-25 cm (8-10 in)
Wingspan: 33 cm (13 in)
Large finch; medium-sized songbird.
Plump, heavy-chested.
Dark wings with two white wingbars.
Large stubby curved bill.
Male red.
Blackish-brown tail and wings.
Tail long and slightly forked.
Eyes black.
Bill dark.
Legs dark.
Sex Differences
Sexually dimorphic: Male with rosy-red head, chest and back, rest gray; females with yellow-olive where male has red.
Male
Pinkish-red head, breast, back and rump. Streaked back. White undertail coverts. Blackish brown wings and tail. White wingbars and tertial edges.
Female
Yellowish olive head and rump. Gray underparts and back. Blackish brown wings and tail. White wingbars and tertial edges.
Immature
Immature male usually is indistinguishable from immature or adult female until the second year when it molts and grows new reddish feathers. Some young males have some red or orange feathers in the body plumage, which females apparently lack. Females average duller than males (especially on the crown and rump) and have a lighter russet tinge to the head or lighter olive tinge to the breast than males. The color of the head and body is often golden orange or reddish bronze in males, in contrast to golden yellow of the female, and the chin is often buffier or more brown-gray than in the female.
Sound
Song is a sequence of clear, warbling, flute-like notes. Flight calls vary geographically, but can sound like "tee-tee-tew," resembling calls of Greater Yellowlegs.
Range
Breeds in subarctic and subalpine coniferous forests of North America and Eurasia.
Winter Range
Winters mainly in breeding range, but may go farther south irregularly to southern Canada and northern United States.
Habitat
Breeds in open coniferous forests.
Wintering areas determined by food availability, so found in wider variety of habitats, including urban areas.
Found in flocks in winter; strongly territorial in breeding season. Distinctive call note often given in flight.
Conservation Status
Status largely unknown because of difficulty of assessing populations.
Other Names
Durbec des sapins (French)
Camachuelo picogrueso (Spanish)
jrobertop, zeca, jaycee, Argus, uleko, Jamesp, soccer, crs, siggi, Miss_Piggy, techranger, eqshannon, nglen, CeltickRanger, horia, cataclysta, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • efsus Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 436 W: 10 N: 738] (3210)
  • [2008-09-18 21:05]

Merhaba Mario,
Seyretmeyi ve çekmeyi en çok istediğim bir kuş karesine daha imza atmışsın. Renkler, ve netlik muhteşem. Ayrıntılar ve kompozisyon enfes görünüyor.
Emeğinize sağlık.

Hüseyin

  • Great 
  • zeca Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 373 W: 14 N: 538] (2881)
  • [2008-09-18 21:05]

Hello Mario!
Excellent capture! The bird is beautiful and the white BG offers nice contrast to its colours. Well taken!
Regards,
Zeca

  • Great 
  • radz Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 603 W: 11 N: 616] (3404)
  • [2008-09-18 21:15]

Nice pink colour with good details.
Liked the pose&POV.

What an increadable bird. I'm not sure wether i love or hate the colour lol. Still a beautiful sharp shot of a beautiful subject.

TFS
Nicki

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2008-09-18 22:21]

Hi Mario,

And I'm jealous of all of your Grosbeaks. The pose on the pine branch with the snow behind the bird is wonderful. Beautiful colors and fine details of the face and plummage. As always, a marvelous composition.

Jane

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3816 W: 190 N: 11348] (34987)
  • [2008-09-18 22:37]

Hello Mario,
A great shot from last winter portraying a fine male Pine Grosbeak from a pleasing frontal POV against a fine contrasting OOF wintery BG.
TFS this beauty,
Ivan

amazing bird! TFS Ori

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16522)
  • [2008-09-18 22:49]

Hi Mario

Great shot - lovely pose combined with lovely cool colours.

James

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2992 W: 162 N: 950] (2789)
  • [2008-09-18 22:50]

Hello Mario,
Excellent work showing the Grosbeak in a lovely pose showing the pattern and colours of its pretty plumage very clearly. A beautiful composition too.
TFS and regards, Ulla

  • Great 
  • soccer Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 550 W: 0 N: 538] (1965)
  • [2008-09-18 23:09]

Mario,

Very well composed pic. The sharpness and detail of the subject are good. I also like the contrast in colour between the subject and the white BG. It makes a great image.
TFS,
Sheriff

  • Great 
  • mariki Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1060 W: 61 N: 2306] (9467)
  • [2008-09-18 23:10]

Bonjour Mario,

Très belle photo de ce durbec. Bonne composition avec une belle pose de l'oiseau sur cette branche de sapin colorée. Excellent netteté et superbe lumière. Jolies couleurs naturelles.
Bonne journée,
Mariki

Magnifique photo. Composition, couleurs, lumière.
Ce qui est étonnant avec ce genre de photo, c'est qu'on ne se lasse jamais car l'exercice est toujours renouvelé. On peut avoir le même oiseau et 10000 photos différentes.

Hi Mario,
Amazingly sharp and beautiful image!
Focus and DoF were perfect.

Ben

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 523 W: 0 N: 920] (3543)
  • [2008-09-19 2:49]

Hello Mario,

What an excelent photo of the bird. The image has the usual (or better said the unususal)sharpness showing even the finest details of bird's plumage. The is also an excelent light management in your photo rendering so well the color tones.

Congratulations,
Cristian

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1373 W: 56 N: 4723] (16252)
  • [2008-09-19 3:44]

Very nice portrait shot Mario. Great sharpness, colours and lighting, well captured too. Great framing and note too. This is a great composition. Thank you for sharing.
Siggi

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2388 W: 94 N: 5521] (17576)
  • [2008-09-19 4:49]

Hello Mario,
A wonderful photo from your winter archive. Cool colours and amazing sharpness. Excellent composition, POV, pose, DOF and BG.
Very, very beautiful!!!
Regards,
Peter

Hello Mario.
A true paint of the nature!
Fine sharpness and details.
The coloration of this delicate bird is simply fantastic!
Congratulations for superb quality photographic!
Regards,
José Roberto

Hallo Mario
I have been busy with a very big project, and have not been so active on the site as I would have liked. This is a great capture with striking colours. A simple, yet so beautiful composition. A stunning, sharp and special image with lovely colours and clear details. Masterly photographed and I cannot find any fault. You have managed to capture this Pine Grosbeak in a great full frontal view, displaying all its lovely plumage. Focus, sharpness and framing is great and presented in a most delightful manner. Lovely soft, snowy background. Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards

Gorgeous... beautifully composed, detailed, and I love the gray and pink colors. The Pine Grosbeak is one of my favorites and your shot here fits that bill too... :) TFS

Larry

Winter is not even close yet...we still have fall..oh buy...I do like your boreal images...they fit the season this image was taken as do the mix of red and white back...very nice Mario
Bob

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2908 W: 34 N: 8625] (32146)
  • [2008-09-19 10:51]

Hi Mario. A pure beauty from last winter. The red of the feathers stand out against the white of the snow. A good pose from the bird with its head turned to one side. good detai in the feathers. well done TFS.
Nick..

salut Mario

très belle image du Durbec des sapins, avec un excellent POV
et cadrage, belle luminosité et superbe netteté et détails de l'avant-plan,

TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1899 W: 36 N: 5579] (18518)
  • [2008-09-20 1:46]

Hi Mario,
Outstanding shot of this great looking Pine Grosbeak with such lovely colours and sharp details on its plumage. Superb lighting and exposure levels and you have captured a fabulous pose here. It looks so charming and attractive. Thanks for sharing this fine image.
Sumon

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2172 W: 218 N: 4383] (14902)
  • [2008-09-20 2:39]

Hi Mario

At first when i saw this species i thought that you already had snow there :) Then i looked at when it was taken :)

This is a lovely capture, with again a splendid fill-in flash work that brings out the best in the colors and details of this lovely grosbeak. The DOF is also spot-on and it isolates the subject from the beautiful and natural BG, creating such a great effect.
Wonderful work, overall.

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Olá Mario

Pássaro lindo de olhinhos bem atentos neste tom avermelhado.
Bonita composição, gosto do fundo escuro.
Parabéns, belo trabalho.
Grande abraço
Vera

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2008-09-20 14:55]

Mario, this is a wonderful photo.
The colours are so well saturated.
Excellent composition.
Great use of flash.

Very well done,

Joe

Hi dear Mario ,
So mice shot.
It has great light and details.
Well exposed.

Kind regards
Saeed

Hi Mario
Beautiful almost bicolor image. Great vivid pink vs grey surrounding. Perfect sharpness, great OOF background and good compo with bird on the right side
TFS
Krzysztof

Salut Mario,
Superbe aussi cette photo.! WoW| composition , couleurs , netteté , lumière et pose ,, supers.
compliments
Michel

Bonjour Mario,

Ce Durbec des sapins semble observer quelque chose devant lui. La prise de vue permet de voir les détails et les couleurs de l'oiseau. le sujet est bien cadré. L'image est claire et nette. La lumière rehausse les couleurs. bonne journée.

Pierre

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