NCRS - The Changing Midwest Assessment

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianu, is a member of the Family Cardinalidae (Grosbeaks & Buntings). The male is distinguished by a rosy-red, triangular breast patch, black head and upper parts, white under parts, white wing patches and rosy-red wing linings, and a black tail with white spots. The female has black and white crown strips, white under parts with extensive streaking, dark gray upper parts, and yellow to yellow-orange wing linings.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a neotropical migrant that breeds in woodland habitat. It is a mid-story or canopy nester with a diet consisting mostly of insects, and lesser quantities of fruit, seeds, and flowers. Identification and life history data compiled by Gregory Gough, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i5950id.html