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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, 1/500 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-11-06 7:24
Viewed: 707
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 38
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
A female Pine Grosbeak 'drinking' snow by -20C.

(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, eng55, Arjun, uleko, crs, meyerd, cataclysta, boreocypriensis, eqshannon, techranger, Evelynn, albert, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To albert: -20CEOSF1 1 11-07 11:09
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1370 W: 56 N: 4704] (16174)
  • [2008-11-06 7:31]

Hello Mario,
Lovely pose in the snow!
perfect sharpness, natural colour and so much details on your shot!
well composed and thanks for the wonderful notes
Regards Siggi

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1130 W: 32 N: 1137] (3508)
  • [2008-11-06 7:45]

Hi Mario,
Wonderful capture.POV,sharpness,details,exposure and composition are excellent.
Thanks for posting.

Hello Mario

A lovely matching female for your Christmas card series.
This is another excellent sharp image.
The plumage detail is well defined with rich colours.
The snowy pine bough makes a perfect setting.
I like the snowy beak.
Great job.
TFS
Wolf

Hello Mario,
Minus 20°C. That's cold!
Apparently no problem for this medium-sized songbird.
No problem for you as well, Mario, as it's well photographed.
For example in terms of what we call 'decisive moment', perching and composition. Of course it's quite moody through this wintery scenery.
The only thing I'm a bit puzzled about is the structure, texture, whatever of snow; maybe I should calibrate my screen;-).
Well done!
Thanks for sharing
Annick

  • Great 
  • Arjun Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 358 W: 7 N: 1109] (5398)
  • [2008-11-06 9:13]

hi mario
good freezing picture..the details are lovely
tfs

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2989 W: 162 N: 941] (2769)
  • [2008-11-06 9:43]

Hello Mario,
These birds are gorgeous, especially when seen against the snowy background. This is a lovely capture of a female showing sharp details and very beautiful colours. A fine composition too.
Many thanks and regards, Ulla

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 523 W: 0 N: 920] (3543)
  • [2008-11-06 10:41]

Hello mario,

It was a good moment, when bir was picking in the snow, to take the photo. The scene looks absolutely natural adding value to the photo. The soft light you have used so well shows fine, saturated and natural looking colors.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2384 W: 94 N: 5493] (17500)
  • [2008-11-06 10:58]

Hello Mario,
Fantastic pose of this female Pine Grosbeak. What an archive you got. Excellent sharp details and very beautiful colours.
Good composition, POV and timing.
I can't remember it was -20C in Holland.
Regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • meyerd Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 519 W: 68 N: 1688] (5336)
  • [2008-11-06 11:04]

Hi Mario,
one of your bird portraits of the extra class. I just add my praise here. You know your stuff. It's just amazing what you accomplish.

My best regards
Dietrich

Hi Mario
Beautiful winter shot. I like vivid brown-yellow on birds head and a cold background. Good sharpness great POV Nothing to critique
TFS
Krzysztof

Hi Mario,
you seem to have thousands of wonderful and different birds in your country, this one is amazing and I like it very much, thanks
Sabine - wishnugaruda

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1977 W: 6 N: 5525] (19661)
  • [2008-11-06 15:38]

Salut Mario,j'ai plus de mots pour commenter ta collection d'hiver,sont tous des photos extraordinaires,vraiment difficile faire une critique,je te laisse comme toujours mes plus gros compliments,Luciano

Hi Mario, my friend,
Anorther marvelous capture from you indeed. Really perfect shot of this beauty in a snowy composition. Fantastic...
TFS and cheers,

Bayram

Soon you will not have to dig into your archives..As a matter of fact I would not have been surprised had you taken this today..It snowed here last night..Very nice boreal once more..and of course you are the Master when it comes to birds...I would just love to listen to you speak of them and your feelings...en francais!
Bob

Ah Mario... I am looking forward to some snow and the silent solitude it provides when I walk through the woods. Seeing gems like this Pine Grosbeak that you have captured here is a special treat. Very beautiful... fantastic detail, and a BG of soft gray solitude... I think I can smell the evergreen too... pure bliss. TFS. :)

Larry

You are a master of depth of focus. The bird is perfect. I also love the soft patterned background. The color, and detail of your pretty bird are really nice.

TFS
Evelynn : )

Bonjour Mario,
Je n'arrive tjrs pas a comprendre comment tu peux faire tous tes réglages et activer le déclencheur par - 20 C !!!
et obtenir une photo parfaite a tous points de vue
Bravo
Bon W-E a toi
Albert

Ciao Mario, lovely composition with cute bird in the snow, fine details and splendid sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2008-11-08 14:33]

A superb shot of this Pine Grosbeak!
The flash-work is excellent!
Superb detail.
Very well composed.

Well done,
Joe

Bonjour Mario,

La durbec des sapin femelle sur la branche est impressionnante. Elle semble chercher de la nourriture. La prise de vue permet de didtinguer les détails et les couleurs de l'oiseau. L'image est claire et précise. La lumière fait ressortir les couleurs. Bonne journée.

Pierre

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