Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Blue Grosbeaks frequently weave shed snakeskins into the outer walls of their nests, likely to frighten away potential predators.
- Scientific name
- Passerina caerulea
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Cardinalidae › Passerina
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Old fields, brushy roadsides, hedgerows, and forest edges.
- Diet
- Primarily insects such as grasshoppers and crickets during summer; seeds and grains during winter.
- Range
- United States, Mexico, Central America
- Size
- Length: 15-19 cm; Wingspan: 26-29 cm; Weight: 26-31g
- Lifespan
- 6 to 7 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to large-scale monoculture farming and collisions with man-made structures.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These birds are shy and best observed from a distance with binoculars. If you encounter a nest in a thicket, maintain a distance of at least 15 feet to avoid causing the parents to abandon the brood.
The blue grosbeak ( Passerina caerulea , formerly Guiraca caerulea ), is a medium-sized seed-eating bird in the same family as the northern cardinal, "tropical" or New World buntings, and "cardinal-grosbeaks" or New World grosbeaks.
Photo: ilouque, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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