# Blue Grosbeak

*Passerina caerulea*

Blue Grosbeaks frequently weave shed snakeskins into the outer walls of their nests, likely to frighten away potential predators.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/14d3cd26-f5d2-447e-b99d-e8393256c8da
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/73155
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passerina caerulea
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/239448/medium.jpg (ilouque, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

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