Pine Grosbeaks – Live ornaments in the willows

What a delight it was to hear the soft, cheery warbles of pine grosbeaks while scouting for birds the day before Nome’s Christmas Bird Count. A small flock of two bright pinkish-red males and three smokeyyellow females perched like festive ornaments in the willows as they plucked buds with their stout (gros) beaks from branches right beside the Teller Road.

Every winter I hope pine grosbeaks will appear and brighten the short days with color and song, but it is an irregular treat to be savored when it happens.

These large, colorful finches breed in the spruce forests of the Seward Peninsula and are perhaps seen fairly regularly by people in White Mountain, Council, Elim, Koyuk and Unalakleet. But it is only in winter that small flocks sometimes venture into willow and alder habitats beyond the spruce forests.

Pine grosbeaks are found in boreal forests across North America and Eurasia. These plump birds are one of the most cold-tolerant songbirds and commonly winter above the Arctic circle. “Irruptions” of these birds beyond northern forests occur when their winter food supply is limited, either due to a small seed crop or a larger than usual number of surviving young.

During winter, pine grosbeaks are social and gregarious, forming small, close-knit flocks that roost closely together at night. Flocks use unique flight calls to stay together and though not aggressive, they avoid interaction with neighboring flocks with different flight calls.

Winter flocks break up as the breeding season approaches and the males become territorial. The male whistles a lovely clear song from the treetops of his territory to define and defend it.

Pairs develop a strong, monogamous bond for the nesting season. Pair bonds are perhaps formed in winter flocks, and it is not known if they last beyond the breeding season.

In late May, after courtship in which the male feeds his mate, the female begins nest building. She makes a well-hidden, bulky nest cup next to the trunk of a spruce.

The female typically incubates three to four eggs for about two weeks. Her mate feeds her while she is on the nest and he shares equally in the task of feeding the chicks. The young leave the nest two to three weeks after hatching. They depend on their parents for about three weeks after fledging, following them everywhere, begging endlessly for food.

Adult pine grosbeaks are almost entirely vegetarian, eating seeds, buds and fruits from trees and shrubs. However, the young need protein to grow, and that is provided mostly by insects.

Both parents have pouches in the lower part of the jaw on either side of the tongue that are used only when nesting. There they store a sticky, protein-rich paste of insects, spiders and plant materials which they regurgitate into the gaping mouths of their young.

When foraging in trees or shrubs, these big northern finches work their way slowly through the branches with great agility, methodically snipping buds and new spruce needles and crushing seeds with their thick, conical bills. They may systematically work over an entire tree or shrub until they have devoured every last bit of available food.

Pine grosbeaks also forage on the ground for fallen fruit and seeds and land on roads to eat salt and grit that aids in digestion. Their strong beaks get a start on crushing their food, but seed-eating birds require grit in their gizzards to further grind up tough plant materials.

The fingers of spruce forest at Bear Creek and Fox River on the Council Road are good places to perhaps see pine grosbeaks in the trees or picking up grit from the road.

Pine grosbeaks come readily to bird feeders in many places including Council, but we have yet to see one visit our feeder at Banner Creek. Fingers crossed, perhaps this will be our year.

Among the dangers grosbeaks face are gray jays and red tree squirrels that prey on their eggs and nestlings. Peregrine falcons, merlins and ravens may prey on adults.

Over the last 40 years, pine grosbeaks have significantly expanded their breeding range into alder thickets in southwestern Alaska. Perhaps these beautiful and personable finches will extend their breeding range into the advancing alders on the Seward Peninsula and become a more regular ornament in the Nome area.

Note: There will be a summary of Nome’s 2022 Christmas Bird Count in the next edition of The Nome Nugget.

GRABBING GRIT – A female pine grosbeak landed on the Council Road at Bear Creek to eat grit. Like ptarmigan, seed-eating finches such as grosbeaks need grit in their gizzards to help digest the tough plant materials they eat. The female’s lovely yellow coloration is more subtle than that of the showy male, as it needs to be to avoid drawing attention when she is incubating.

FESTIVE MALE – Pine grosbeaks are known for their “tameness.” This bold and unwary male surprised me recently by landing in the willows right in front of me along the Teller Road. These large, colorful songbirds have been likened to parrots; they have large beaks, climb agilely, and hang from branches to feed, fly in flocks while calling to maintain contact, and can imitate the calls of other bird species in the area.