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.

Pine grosbeaks breed in the boreal forests of northern Eurasia and North America, and typically either remain resident near their breeding grounds or migrate relatively short distances to the southern extent of boreal forests. During irruptive years, more travel to southern boreal forests and some move further south. In such years in the New World, they can occur well south of their typical winter distribution, which is the northern Great Lakes region and northern New England in the United States. This species is a very rare vagrant to temperate parts of Europe; in all of Germany, for example, not more than 4 individuals per year and often none at all have been recorded since 1980.[ The birds have also been known to live in coniferous forests, and other woodlands of the sort.