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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
Theme(s): Red Birds [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-11-04 13:08
Viewed: 1268
Points: 48
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
A Pine Grosbeak 'drinking' snow :-) on a pine tree in the Montmorency boreal forest.

(Pinicola enucleator 20-25cm)
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
Size: 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.
Similar Species
White-winged Crossbill is smaller, has crossed-tipped bill, shorter tail; females streaked.
Evening Grosbeak is shorter-tailed, more stocky, and has large pale bill.
House Finch is smaller with less prominent wingbars; male with streaked sides.
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.
Food
Seeds, buds, fruit, some insects.
Behavior
Foraging
Eats fruits by biting through and discarding the pulp and crushing the seed. Insects caught by clumsy flycatching. Eats sunflower seeds at feeders in parts of range (rarely comes to feeders in other parts of range).
Other Behavior
Found in flocks in winter; strongly territorial in breeding season. Distinctive call note often given in flight.
Reproduction
Nest Type
Open cup nest in tree
Egg Description
Pale blue with darker dots and markings
Clutch Size
Usually 3-4 eggs. Range: 2-5.
Condition at Hatching
Naked and helpless.
Conservation Status
Status largely unknown because of difficulty of assessing populations.
Other Names
Durbec des sapins (French)
Camachuelo picogrueso (Spanish)
From: www.birds.cornell.edu
siggi, pekkavalo1, Luis52, boreocypriensis, ramthakur, bobair, eqshannon, pankajbajpai, Argus, crs, Heaven, albert, matatur, Alex99, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1378 W: 56 N: 4747] (16330)
  • [2008-11-04 13:13]

Hello Mario,
Excellent photo of this Grosbeak in a fine pose. Great natural colours and sharpness.
I like the unusual composition.
Best regards Siggi

Hi Mario,
Excellent capture of this cute Grosbeak with great pose, POV and composition, sharp details and beautiful colours.
TFS
Pekka

Hi Mario, lovely bird with fantastic colors, great focus, fine details and splendid sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • Luis52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1110 W: 5 N: 3457] (12761)
  • [2008-11-04 14:59]

Hola Mario.
Another great photo for Your excellent collection. Beautiful colors.
Luis52.

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2008-11-04 15:24]

Salut Mario,ta collection d'hiver reste selon moi la plus spectaculaire de TN.Aussi les couleurs de ce petit oiseu sont fantastiques,mes compliments pour ces photos de grande grande classe,bonne journee',Luciano

Hi Mario,
An another wonderful capture of a Pine Grosbeak on a pine tree. It seems realy to drink snow :-). Funny... Details, sharpness, BG and DOF, all are perfect my friend.
TFS and cheers,

Bayram

Fine image of a Pine Grosbeak you have pulled out of your archives, Mario.
The colors on the bird are so very fascinatig.
A wonderful capture in portrait orientation.
Thanks and regards.

  • Great 
  • bobair Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 398 W: 118 N: 1435] (5172)
  • [2008-11-04 18:56]

Hi Mario,
this sure is a fine looking bird with that great coloured plumage,a real threat for the eyes.It won't be long and it will be winter once again and I hope to make captures of birds and the snow as good as this shot.The details show well and the colour is excellent and the pov with the snow is very appealing.I fine addition to TN and thank you for sharing this one with us.

Bob

I truly hope that you are as able and lucky to get shots like this in winter..This is the first winter I shall have a feeder and no DSLR...so I declare it a self challenge..My wife tells me birds are now returning since I have purchased seeds:-) good shot in the boreal type of green.... I love each and every one for its good technical quality and its personal touch!
bob

hello mario,
lovely post presenting the Pine Grosbeak, i liked the pov, the colors and the composition very mucg, the details of plumage is recorded well,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3821 W: 190 N: 11376] (35063)
  • [2008-11-04 20:35]

Hello Mario,
You have saved a real beauty from last winter in this superb portrait of a male Pine Grosbeak. Well composed against a contrasting natural OOF Bg, it looks grat on the snow-covered spruce branch from this side POV.
A very nice image Mario and thanks for sharing it!
Ivan

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 523 W: 0 N: 920] (3543)
  • [2008-11-04 20:35]

Hello Mario,

I like the atitude of the bird suggesting cold wether and a bed mood. Snow arround the bird explains bird's feelings. The quality of the image is very high due to the sharpness of the image, excelent color rendering and fine composition.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

  • Great 
  • Heaven Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 811 W: 108 N: 1736] (6060)
  • [2008-11-04 21:29]

Hi Mario!

I'm impressed by the very detailed and instructive notes as well as by the quality of the picture. Your quality level is very high, and at all levels: composition, sharpness and colour management are perfect. Moreover, these technical aspects provide all together a terrific impact of the picture and create what we call in French a superb "piqué". In English this could be something like "clarity".

Kind regards

Markus

Bonjour Mario,
Au vu de cette belle photo je croyais que l'hiver canadien était arrivé !
Superbe piqué et que dire des couleurs?
Bravo
Albert

A beautiful image in the mood of a new year theme Mario, a fine specimen in its prime, a good POV, the correct exposure and finely limited DOF, all resulted in a pleasant composition. TFS this my friend.
Cheers,
Mehmet

Hi Mario!
beautifull bird and beautifull photo, great colours, focus, composition. Another well done shot!

cheers
Adrian

  • Great 
  • efsus Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 436 W: 10 N: 738] (3210)
  • [2008-11-05 9:31]

Merhaba Mario,
Kuşun renkleri ve üzerinde bulunduğu ağacın yeşil dalları ve etraftaki beyaz kar muhteşem bir kontrast oluşturmuş. Seyri doyumsuz bir kare ortaya çıkmış.
Tebrikler.

Hüseyin

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2912 W: 34 N: 8640] (32202)
  • [2008-11-05 10:55]

Hi Mario. This bird looks like he has been fed well it looks round and healty. You have taken it with fine detail and natural colours. a nice pose in the fir tree. all with very interesting notes well done TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2395 W: 94 N: 5542] (17634)
  • [2008-11-05 11:18]

Hello Mario,
Again a very beautiful photo of a Pine Grosbeak. The contrasting colours are splendid. Good sharpness, POV and DOF in a nice composition.
Regards,
Peter

Hello Mario

This is a Christmas card shot.
Wonderful contrast and lighting.
The colours are vibrant.
There is something about a snow covered pine bough and brightly coloured bird.
Tack sharp focus and plumage detail.
Excellent eye detail and catch light.
TFS

Wolf

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2008-11-06 13:42]

Hi Mario,
an excellent shot.
The colours here are so rich.
Very well composed.
Superb sharpness.

Well done,
Joe

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3585 W: 143 N: 5672] (18539)
  • [2008-11-06 23:28]

Hi Mario.
Splendid bird and outstanding image. I like wonderful scene at whole. Impressive twigs covered by snow, amazing bird and nice dark smooth BG create a fine composition. Quality of the image is great as usual. My compliments and thanks.
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • iti Gold Star Critiquer [C: 88 W: 0 N: 7] (534)
  • [2008-11-08 10:03]

Hi Mario
Very nice colours with good detail.Nice pose
of this beautiful bird.
Regards Jiri.

Bonsoir mario,

La prise de vue permet de voir ce durbec des sapins qui gonfle ses plumes pour se protéger du froid. Les détails et les couleurs des plumes de l'oiseau sont clair et précis. la lumière rehausse les couleurs. Bonne soirée.

Pierre

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