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Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Adult Male--Head, throat, and back black; breast carmine; under wing coverts rose colour; belly white; wings black, with white markings; tail black tipped with white; the beak, as the bird's name implies, is very thick and strong. Length--8.15.
Adult Female--Head, back, and breast warm gray or buff, with brown markings; the head has a buff line on the crown, with a dark line on either side, and a conspicuous white line over the eye; wings and tail grayish brown; the under wing coverts are bright golden yellow.
Immature Male and Female--Resemble each other, the colour being much the same as that of the adult Female, but rather lighter, the only marked difference being in the under wing coverts, which in the Female are bright yellow, and in the Male rose colour. When about three months old the male shows a decidedly warm buff colour on the breast, with undefined wine-coloured markings; the back becomes darker and also warmer in tone.
The Female has the line over the eye nearly white; the throat very pale gray, with dark brownish gray markings, and is in general appearance much colder in tone than the.Male
Male eighteen months old--The head and back black, mottled with buff; line over eye light buff; throat and upper part of breast buff, with reddish suffusions and fine black marks; breast rather dull carmine, with a few dark spots and a tinge of buff; sides light buff, streaked slightly with dark brown; belly white; wings black, with white feathers, each white feather tipped with buff.
Breeding Range--The Eastern States, from North Carolina (in the more elevated regions) northward to New England.
The nest is shallow, and loosely constructed of dry vine tendrils and small twigs, at a height of seven to fifteen feet from the ground, placed in blackberry or other vines, in bushes, or in trees. The eggs, from 3 to 5 in number, are pale greenish blue, nearly covered by small irregular brownish and lilac markings. Size--.96 x .73. Plate D.
It is not a difficult nest to find, as the male bird, whose brilliant colour makes him so conspicuous, is generally to be discovered near by, and when the nest is threatened by the intruder he becomes greatly excited, uttering an oft-repeated sharp, piercing note, and occasionally breaking into that beautiful soft song so peculiar to the grosbeak. When he is seen to act in that manner there is sure to be a nest not far away, and a little patient searching will discover its whereabouts. The nest when found will probably cause some surprise by the apparently insecure manner in which it is placed. Most birds weave their nests around branches or vines, but the grosbeaks seldom take such precaution; they usually build their nest in or on the fork of a branch, from which it may be removed without disturbing it in any way. A likely place for the nest is near the banks of a stream, where the bushes grow thick.
The young leave the nest when about eleven days old. If taken at that age they may be easily reared, as they are remarkably hardy and become absolutely tame in a very short while. Few birds make better pets; they are sociably inclined--even affectionate, if I may use the term when speaking of birds--beautiful in appearance, and the male bird sings a delightfully sweet song, which he commences when ten weeks old. If left in a lighted room, they sing until late at night. The breeding season near New York begins about the third week in May.