Species

Blue grosbeak

Passerina caerulea

A deep blue songbird with chestnut wing bars and a massive bill, singing from roadside shrubs in summer.

Photo Jonathan Eisen (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 14 to 19 cm long
Weight: About 26 to 31 g
Habitat: Old fields, hedgerows and roadside shrubs
Diet: Insects, especially grasshoppers, and seeds
In Georgia: A common summer resident, April to September
Voice: A rich, warbling song; a metallic "chink"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Male: Deep blue with chestnut wing bars and a large, silver-grey bill
Female: Warm brown with chestnut wing bars
Told apart from: Indigo bunting, which is smaller with no wing bars
Where to look: Shrubby fields and roadsides

Behaviour

Blue grosbeaks eat many grasshoppers and sing from wires and shrubs. They often flick their tails.

Why they matter

Blue grosbeaks eat many grasshoppers and other insects in fields. They rely on old fields and hedgerows.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup in a shrub, often decorated with snakeskin
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 11 to 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Hedgerows and old fields left shrubby support them.

Misconceptions

All blue birds are bluebirds or jays. The blue grosbeak has a massive bill.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	In Central America	In Central America	In Central America	Arriving	Nesting	Nesting	Second broods	Young fledging	Leaving	Last birds	In Central America	In Central America

Where it lives

Recorded in 73 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

If you found one

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