Evening Grosbeak
Learn to identify the Evening Grosbeak by ear. Master the "short warble" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Evening Grosbeak sounds like
Brief notes ring out one by one; some sound clean and piercing, while others carry the rough burr typical of this grosbeak.
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Northern forests of North America; wanders widely in winter to find food
Coniferous and mixed forests, especially those with spruce, pine, and fir trees
Moves in nomadic flocks that track seed availability; may suddenly appear at feeders in winter
How to recognize it by sight
Large, robust finch (about 8 inches long). The most defining feature is the huge conical bill, which is ivory-colored to greenish-yellow (brighter green-yellow in breeding season). The bill appears oversized for the head.
Similar species
Pine Grosbeak
Another large finch of northern forests. Male Pine Grosbeaks are rose-red and gray (no yellow), and females are olive-yellow, lacking the bold black-and-white wing pattern of Evening Grosbeaks. Pine Grosbeaks have a smaller, stubby gray bill (not massive and pale like the Evening Grosbeak's). Behaviorally, Pine Grosbeaks are slower and more mellow, often seen eating berries quietly in small groups. Their calls are soft, whistled "pee-o" notes and a musical chattering, much gentler than the Evening Grosbeak's loud "cleer" calls.
American Goldfinch (female)
Female and winter-plumage American Goldfinches are dull olive or yellow-brown and considerably smaller (5 inches) with a much daintier bill. A female goldfinch might superficially share yellowish tones with a female Evening Grosbeak, but goldfinches have distinct wingbars (even in winter) and lack the Evening Grosbeak's massive build and bill. Goldfinches also have dark beady eyes (no bold supercilium or multi-toned plumage).