The Pine Grosbeak is a large and plump, heavy-chested finch with a round head. Its bill is thick and conical, but much stubbier than in other finch species.
U.S./Canada Population Estimate: 4.4 million
Population Trend: Decreasing
Habitat: Open boreal forest
Threats: Possibly climate change
Note: Locals in Newfoundland affectionately call Pine Grosbeaks "mopes" because they can be so tame and slow moving. Pine Grosbeaks declined by 2.4 percent per year between 1966 and 2015, resulting in a cumulative decline of 70 percent. The pine grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) (this scientific name roughly translates to "the bird that lives in the pines and shells the seeds") is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is the only species in the genus Pinicola. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Canada, and in subarctic Fennoscandia and across the Palearctic to Siberia. The species is a frugivore, especially in winter, favoring small fruits, such as rowans (mountain-ashes in the New World). With fruit-crop abundance varying from year to year, pine grosbeak is one of many subarctic-resident bird species that exhibit irruptive behavior. In irruption years, individuals can move long distances in search of suitable food supplies, bringing them farther south and/or downslope than is typical of years with large fruit crops.
Population Trend: Decreasing
Habitat: Open boreal forest
Threats: Possibly climate change
Note: Locals in Newfoundland affectionately call Pine Grosbeaks "mopes" because they can be so tame and slow moving. Pine Grosbeaks declined by 2.4 percent per year between 1966 and 2015, resulting in a cumulative decline of 70 percent. The pine grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) (this scientific name roughly translates to "the bird that lives in the pines and shells the seeds") is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is the only species in the genus Pinicola. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Canada, and in subarctic Fennoscandia and across the Palearctic to Siberia. The species is a frugivore, especially in winter, favoring small fruits, such as rowans (mountain-ashes in the New World). With fruit-crop abundance varying from year to year, pine grosbeak is one of many subarctic-resident bird species that exhibit irruptive behavior. In irruption years, individuals can move long distances in search of suitable food supplies, bringing them farther south and/or downslope than is typical of years with large fruit crops.
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26 April 2022
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