# Black-headed Grosbeak

*Pheucticus melanocephalus*

They are among the very few bird species that can safely consume Monarch butterflies, having evolved a high tolerance for their poisonous cardenolides.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Cardinalidae › Pheucticus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous and mixed woodlands, mountain forests, and riverside thickets.
- **Diet:** Insects, seeds, and berries; uniquely capable of eating toxic Monarch butterflies.
- **Range:** Western North America, Mexico, Southwestern Canada
- **Size:** 18-19 cm length, 35-50g weight
- **Lifespan:** 6-11 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, pesticide exposure, and collisions with glass windows.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. These birds are shy but frequent backyard feeders. Observe from a distance of at least 10 feet to avoid startling them. If you encounter a fledgling on the ground, leave it be as the parents are likely nearby.

## About

The black-headed grosbeak ( Pheucticus melanocephalus ) is a medium-sized, seed-eating bird in the same family as the northern cardinal, the Cardinalidae. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the rose-breasted grosbeak ( P. ludovicianus ) with which it hybridizes on the American Great Plains.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/61008f74-9211-487b-8305-17317c9185f7
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/10274
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheucticus melanocephalus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/836832/medium.jpg (Bill Bouton, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

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