# Pine Grosbeak

*Pinicola enucleator*

Because they breed in remote northern forests with few humans, they lack natural fear and are historically nicknamed 'mopes' for their incredibly calm, trusting demeanor.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Fringillidae › Pinicola
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Boreal coniferous forests, subalpine zones, and mixed woodlands.
- **Diet:** Mainly seeds, buds, and berries (especially rowan/mountain ash), supplemented by insects in summer.
- **Range:** North America, Northern Europe, Siberia, Japan
- **Size:** Length: 20-25 cm, Wingspan: 33 cm, Weight: 50-80 g
- **Lifespan:** 3 to 6 years in the wild, up to 9 years recorded.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss from logging of mature boreal forests, climate change altering conifer ranges, and window collisions in urban wintering areas.
- **Safe to approach?:** Pine Grosbeaks are completely harmless and famously tame, often allowing humans to approach very closely. Maintain a respectful distance of 5 to 10 feet to avoid stressing the bird. They pose no physical danger; however, if a bird is injured and must be handled, wear gloves to prevent a pinch from its powerful, seed-cracking bill.

## About

The pine grosbeak ( Pinicola enucleator ) is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Canada, and in subarctic Fennoscandia and Siberia. The species is a frugivore, especially in winter, favoring small fruits, such as rowans (mountain-ashes in the New World). With fruit-crop abundance varying from year to year, pine grosbeak is one of many subarctic-resident bird species that exhibit irruptive...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/0a5aceb3-a90c-4001-bb15-553da46b2613
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/9771
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinicola enucleator
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/105060920/medium.jpg (Richard Littauer, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.