Wednesday 27 February 2013

Rose-breasted Grosbeak/Wayward Wanderer

A vagrant Rose-breasted Grosbeak has been reported in Langley British Columbia.
Noted birder Wayne Weber writes:


" It is unquestionably a female ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. This is a very rare bird in the Vancouver area--  fewer than 10 previous records, and only one of those was in the winter.

Female ROSE-BREASTED and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS are quite similar and hard to tell apart. However, the Rose-breasted is more heavily streaked on the underparts, and this bird is quite clearly a Rose-breasted.

Black-headed Grosbeaks are common around here in the summer, and I’m sure you’ve seen them around your place in the summertime, but they have never been recorded here in the winter. Both Black-headed and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are strongly migratory species which normally winter in Mexico and farther south.

Thank you so much for using eBird and for reporting this bird. The photos have sorted out the mystery of which species it was.


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