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Pine Grosbeak


Pine Grosbeak
Photo Information
Copyright: Mario Belanger (EOSF1) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1518 W: 123 N: 2178] (20007)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-01-27
Categories: Nature
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF100-400 F4-5.6 L IS USM, ISO 200, B+W 77 010 UV-Haze 1 x
Exposure: f/8, 1/500 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-11-28 10:39
Viewed: 761
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 42
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
A male Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator 20-25cm) stands on a pine tree in the Montmorency boreal forest, north-east of Quebec City. Taken from my archives.

One of the larger members of its family, the Pine Grosbeak is a bird of the boreal forests, found across northern Eurasia and North America, and south into the mountains of western Canada and the United States. A large, unwary finch, it makes periodic winter irruptions into southern Canada and northern United States. It is the largest and rarest of the "winter finches."

Cool Facts

The tameness and slow-moving behavior of the Pine Grosbeak gave rise to local name in Newfoundland of "mope."


Winter flocks may stay near a tree with abundant fruit until all of it is consumed.


Winter irruptions are infrequent and irregular. To see an illustration of the invasion of the winter 1997-98, based on data gathered through BirdSource's Winter Finch Survey, click here.


A breeding adult Pine Grosbeak develops pouches in the floor of its mouth for carrying food to its young.


During most of the year, 99% of diet is vegetable matter, especially buds, seeds, and fruits of spruce, pine, juniper, elm, maple, mountain ash, apple, and crabapple. It feeds insects and spiders to its young, though, often mixed with plant foods. It drinks water or eats snow daily.

Description
topSize: 20-25 cm (8-10 in)
Wingspan: 33 cm (13 in)

Large finch; medium-sized songbird.
Plump, heavy-chested.
Dark wings with two white wingbars.
Large stubby curved bill.
Male red.


Blackish-brown tail and wings.
Tail long and slightly forked.
Eyes black.
Bill dark.
Legs dark.

Sex Differences
Sexually dimorphic: Male with rosy-red head, chest and back, rest gray; females with yellow-olive where male has red.

Male
Pinkish-red head, breast, back and rump. Streaked back. White undertail coverts. Blackish brown wings and tail. White wingbars and tertial edges.

Female
Yellowish olive head and rump. Gray underparts and back. Blackish brown wings and tail. White wingbars and tertial edges.

Immature
Immature male usually is indistinguishable from immature or adult female until the second year when it molts and grows new reddish feathers. Some young males have some red or orange feathers in the body plumage, which females apparently lack. Females average duller than males (especially on the crown and rump) and have a lighter russet tinge to the head or lighter olive tinge to the breast than males. The color of the head and body is often golden orange or reddish bronze in males, in contrast to golden yellow of the female, and the chin is often buffier or more brown-gray than in the female.

Similar Species

White-winged Crossbill is smaller, has crossed-tipped bill, shorter tail; females streaked.
Evening Grosbeak is shorter-tailed, more stocky, and has large pale bill.
House Finch is smaller with less prominent wingbars; male with streaked sides.

Sound
Song is a sequence of clear, warbling, flute-like notes. Flight calls vary geographically, but can sound like "tee-tee-tew," resembling calls of Greater Yellowlegs.

Range

Breeds in subarctic and subalpine coniferous forests of North America and Eurasia.

Winter Range
Winters mainly in breeding range, but may go farther south irregularly to southern Canada and northern United States.

Habitat

Breeds in open coniferous forests.
Wintering areas determined by food availability, so found in wider variety of habitats, including urban areas.

Food
Seeds, buds, fruit, some insects.

Behavior
Foraging
Eats fruits by biting through and discarding the pulp and crushing the seed. Insects caught by clumsy flycatching. Eats sunflower seeds at feeders in parts of range (rarely comes to feeders in other parts of range).

Other Behavior
Found in flocks in winter; strongly territorial in breeding season. Distinctive call note often given in flight.

Reproduction
Nest Type
Open cup nest in tree

Egg Description
Pale blue with darker dots and markings

Clutch Size
Usually 3-4 eggs. Range: 2-5.
Condition at Hatching
Naked and helpless.

topConservation Status
Status largely unknown because of difficulty of assessing populations.

Other Names
Durbec des sapins (French)
Camachuelo picogrueso (Spanish)

From: www.birds.cornell.edu
JohnTulip, kokos101, gerbilratz, CallMeMaria, espanek, Hormon_Manyer, geterdone, dareco, Urfaust, boomcat, harpya, trekks has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To geterdone: Thanks Lyndon !EOSF1 1 11-29 15:58
To JohnTulip: Merci John !EOSF1 1 11-28 13:05
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Critiques [Translate]

Salut Mario
I see you already have two Ambassadors of Les Pays Bas :-)

Mario .. I know now atleast 3 persons in TL that shoot birds
excellent! *Twin* *Claudine* and you !
Al 3 you have the white Canon Super lens .. 100-400 ..
looking to the results .. it is value for money!
C'est tres beau et pour ca je dit Chapeau et Bravo!

Amities
John

hello mario!
excellent bird shot, very sharp with great colors.
i like it.
tfs
zoran

Superb bird with a great background...the colours compliment each other well, you have the whole bird in such sharp focus...

Hi Mario,
Incredibly wonderful colors and such a lovely expression of the bird!
Perfect sharpness and DOF.
Beautiful composition.
TFS
Regards,
Lurdes

Hello Mario.
Another lovely bird and great presentation.
I really like this winter look of the picture.
Nice contrast of the b/g color and the red of a bird.
TFS
Wojciech

  • Great 
  • juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2641 W: 1 N: 1264] (15443)
  • [2007-11-28 12:25]

Hola Mario.
espléndido trabajo.
buen foco, coloy y pov,
hermosos detalles,
saludos amigo

Bonjour Mario,
Yes, these lens are really working well, but I never heard yet a lens alone ever shot without settings and the 'click'. :) So, the respect for this great image must be Yours. Very nice cool colors, great sharpness, nice pose of the bird, solid yet tasteful frame... Bravo.
Cheerz, László

Hi Mario,
My pleasure to award you a couple points for this great photo of this beautiful bird. Very nice detailed shot and I love the colors...the spruce greens and the blue in the bg are very complimentory to the bird. I seen this bird for my first time days ago but...was without camera. Very beautiful image Mario.

Lyndon

Bonsoir Mario,
Une belle photo de ce Durbec des Sapins,belle présentation et prise de vue, couleurs et nettetée FANTASTIQUE beaucoup de détails et compositions.
Excellent cliché et note . Bravo.
Michel

Bonsoir Mario
Jolie capture d'un beau spécimen. Les couleurs sont superbes et la posture de l'oiseau intéressante, il semble ne pas apprécier ta présence. trčs belle composition.
Bravo
Serge

  • Great 
  • dareco Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1717 W: 16 N: 840] (15143)
  • [2007-11-28 21:01]

Very beautiful!! Another great pose! Love the colors!!! TFS

great capture Mario.. nice expresion.. this birds is posing!! colors are unusual.. never seen a birds like that!! it's wonderful!!
well done!
ciao Marco

Hi Bro

As a master in the nature and wildlife photography....i admire the result that you have been posted so far...alwayas sharp and always beautiful....thanks

Amri HMS

  • Great 
  • pozaru Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3563 W: 737 N: 2401] (19058)
  • [2007-11-29 0:31]

This could be superb christmas card !


thanks,
v
ps.I'll be back with points

  • Great 
  • WMcK Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 663 W: 11 N: 1718] (6837)
  • [2007-11-29 1:16]

Mario, he is stunning! What a perfect capture on the spruce branch, Beautiful colour and detail. One of your best. Bravo.
Wanda
The post for the theme tomorrow is for the lovely birds you and Serge do. Keep an eye :)

  • Great 
  • efi Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 211 W: 11 N: 183] (3308)
  • [2007-11-29 7:59]

hi mario;
soft light and colors and nice frame.tfs.

gorgeous Pine Grosbeak. wonderful shot of tis little bird. love it.. again excellent sharpness, composition and detail.

tfs and regards, terry

  • Great 
  • kbeall Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 532 W: 109 N: 902] (3580)
  • [2007-11-29 17:00]

Hi Mario,
What a marvelous shot . . . great color and detail of his fine feathers, and he is perfectly "nested" on his pine bough.
Thanks for sharing,
Karen

Hello Mario,
A beautiful bird gives a fine pose!
Superb reproduction of colours and details, and the plumage is so beautgiful...
A well balanced composition, DOF spot on which makes the bird stand out very well!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Hi Mario,
You keep me surprizing with these excellent sharp bird pictures like this colourful one. A pity the twig is just behind the birds head. Nontheless a great posting my friend!
Hans

:) Later...

Hello Mario,

Sells his album I see that you have beautiful specimens of birds here, each one more beautiful than the other.
The close are wonderful, the details and each one with color as the nature made it.
Congratulations, are wonderful his collection!

Sérgio

  •      
  • trekks Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2025 W: 144 N: 3403] (13631)
  • [2007-12-22 18:45]

Simply super sharp at this distance. Great details and freeze, I like the bird's color. Well done. TFS

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