Sunday, February 26, 2012

Handsome In Yellow


Day 136: A male Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) could be said to look like an American Goldfinch male on steroids. Measuring in at approximately seven inches from beak to tail, these showy birds are about the size of a Starling. Their bold white wing patches and brilliant yellow "eyebrows" are distinctive even at a distance. In both males and females, the beak turns chartreuse green in mating season. Their appetites are legendary. Although their natural diet is one of evergreen seeds, they are passionate about black-oil sunflower seed when it is placed in feeders, and they have my yard staked out as a consistent source.

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