Pine grosbeak

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Pine grosbeak
Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) (13667564073).jpg
Male
Pinicola-enucleator-002.jpg
Female in Canada
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Carduelinae
Genus: Pinicola
Vieillot, 1808
Species:
P. enucleator
Binomial name
Pinicola enucleator
PinicolaEnucleatorIUCN.svg
Breeding range of P. enucleator
  Resident
  Non-breeding
Synonyms

Loxia enucleatorLinnaeus, 1758

The pine grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

The pine grosbeak was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia enucleator. [2] The type locality is Sweden. [3] It is now the only species placed in the genus Pinicola that was erected in 1808 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot. [4] [5] The generic name Pinicola combines the Latin pinus meaning "pine tree" and colere meaning "to dwell"; the specific enucleator is from the Latin enucleare meaning "to remove the kernel". [6]

The pine grosbeak is a sister taxon to the bullfinches of the genus Pyrrhula . [7] The crimson-browed finch (Carpodacus subhimachalus) was previously placed in the genus Pinicola. It was moved to the rosefinch genus Carpodacus based on results from phylogenetic studies of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences that were published in 2012 and 2013. [5] [7] [8]

Eight subspecies are recognised: [5]

Description

This species is one of the largest species in the true finch family. It measures from 20 to 25.5 cm (7.9 to 10.0 in) in length and weighs from 52 to 78 g (1.8 to 2.8 oz), with an average mass of 56.4 g (1.99 oz). The pine grosbeak's wingspan is 13.0 in (33 cm). [9] Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 10.2 to 11.6 cm (4.0 to 4.6 in), the tail is 7.8 to 9.5 cm (3.1 to 3.7 in), the bill is 1.4 to 1.65 cm (0.55 to 0.65 in) and the tarsus is 1.9 to 2.3 cm (0.75 to 0.91 in). [10] [11] [12] Adults have a long forked black tail, black wings with white wing bars and a large bill. Adult males have a rose-red head, back and rump, They also possess black wings and tail, with a conical beak. Adult females are olive-yellow on the head and rump and grey on the back and underparts. Young birds have a less contrasting plumage overall, appearing shaggy when they moult their colored head plumage.

Its voice is geographically variable, and includes a whistled pui pui pui or chii-vli. The song is a short musical warble.

Distribution and habitat

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Pine grosbeak.png
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

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. [13] The birds have also been known to live in coniferous forests, and other woodlands of the sort.

Behaviour and ecology

The breeding habitat of the pine grosbeak is coniferous forests. They nest on a horizontal branch or in a fork of a conifer. This bird is a permanent resident through most of its range; in the extreme north or when food sources are scarce, they may migrate farther south. When breeding both sexes develop gular pouches which they use to store seeds before feeding them to the young. [14]

Pine grosbeaks forage in trees and bushes. They mainly eat seeds, buds, berries, and insects. Outside of the nesting season, they often feed in flocks.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finch</span> Family of birds

The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide native distribution except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty genera. It includes the canaries, siskins, redpolls, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias, as well as the morphologically divergent Hawaiian honeycreepers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosefinch</span> Genus of birds

The rosefinches are a genus, Carpodacus, of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. Most are called "rosefinches" and as the word implies, have various shades of red in their plumage. The common rosefinch is frequently called the "rosefinch". The genus name is from the Ancient Greek terms karpos, "fruit", and dakno, "to bite".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunlin</span> Species of bird

The dunlin is a small wader, formerly sometimes separated with the other "stints" in the genus Erolia. The English name is a dialect form of "dunling", first recorded in 1531–1532. It derives from dun, "dull brown", with the suffix -ling, meaning a person or thing with the given quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern hawk-owl</span> Species of owl

The northern hawk-owl or northern hawk owl is a medium-sized true owl of the northern latitudes. It is non-migratory and usually stays within its breeding range, though it sometimes irrupts southward. It is one of the few owls that is neither nocturnal nor crepuscular, being active only during the day. This is the only living species in the genus Surnia of the family Strigidae, the "typical" owls. The species is sometimes called simply the hawk owl; however, many species of owls in the genus Ninox are also called "hawk owls".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brambling</span> Species of bird

The brambling is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It has also been called the cock o' the north and the mountain finch. It is widespread and migratory, often seen in very large flocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawfinch</span> Species of bird

The hawfinch is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Coccothraustes. Its closest living relatives are the Chinese grosbeak and Japanese grosbeak of East Asia, and the evening grosbeak and hooded grosbeak of North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red crossbill</span> Species of bird

The red crossbill or common crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and other fruits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-barred crossbill</span> Species of bird

The two-barred crossbill or white-winged crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in the coniferous forests of North America and the Palearctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple finch</span> Species of bird

The purple finch is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. It breeds in the northern United States, southern Canada, and the west coast of North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassin's finch</span> Species of bird

Cassin's finch is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are placed in the genus Haemorhous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evening grosbeak</span> Species of bird

The evening grosbeak is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae found in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine siskin</span> Species of bird

The pine siskin is a North American bird in the finch family. It is a migratory bird with an extremely sporadic winter range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grosbeak</span> Form taxon of passerine birds

Grosbeak is a form taxon containing various species of seed-eating passerine birds with large beaks. Although they all belong to the superfamily Passeroidea, these birds are not part of a natural group but rather a polyphyletic assemblage of distantly related songbirds. Some are cardueline finches in the family Fringillidae, while others are cardinals in the family Cardinalidae; one is a member of the weaver family Ploceidae. The word "grosbeak", first applied in the late 1670s, is a partial translation of the French grosbec, where gros means "large" and bec means "beak".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue grosbeak</span> Species of bird

The blue grosbeak, is a medium-sized North American passerine bird in the cardinal family Cardinalidae. It is mainly migratory, wintering in Central America and breeding in northern Mexico and the southern United States. The male is blue with two brown wing bars. The female is mainly brown with scattered blue feathers on the upperparts and two brown wing bars.

<i>Pyrrhula</i> Genus of birds

Pyrrhula is a small genus of passerine birds, commonly called bullfinches, belonging to the finch family (Fringillidae). The genus has a Palearctic distribution; almost all species occur in Asia, with two species exclusively in the Himalayas and one species, P. pyrrhula, also occurring in Europe. The Azores bullfinch is a critically endangered species, occurring only in the east of the island of São Miguel in the Azores archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimson-browed finch</span> Species of bird

The crimson-browed finch is a true finch species. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate shrubland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-headed bullfinch</span> Species of bird

The grey-headed bullfinch is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is sometimes known as Beavan's bullfinch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-cheeked bullfinch</span> Species of bird

The white-cheeked bullfinch is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown bullfinch</span> Species of bird

The brown bullfinch is a species of bird in the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are temperate forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baikal bullfinch</span> Subspecies of bird

The Baikal bullfinch, also known as the grey bullfinch, grey-headed bullfinch or great bullfinch, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is found in eastern Kazakhstan, Mongolia and adjacent areas of Russia and China. Although sometimes considered a full species, most authorities treat it a subspecies of the Eurasian bullfinch. It migrates altitudinally from its summer breeding range in the Altai Mountains to its winter range in the adjacent foothills and plains.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Pinicola enucleator". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22720625A132141177. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22720625A132141177.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 171.
  3. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 284.
  4. Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1807). Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique Septentrionale : contenant un grand nombre d'espèces décrites ou figurées pour la première fois (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Chez Desray. p. iv. The volume is dated 1807 on the title page but was not published until the following year.
  5. 1 2 3 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Finches, euphonias". IOC World Bird List Version 10.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  6. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. pp.  147, 307. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  7. 1 2 Zuccon, Dario; Prŷs-Jones, Robert; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Ericson, Per G.P. (2012). "The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (2): 581–596. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002. PMID   22023825.
  8. Tietze, D.T.; Päckert, M.; Martens, J.; Lehmann, H.; Sun, Y.-H. (2013). "Complete phylogeny and historical biogeography of true rosefinches (Aves: Carpodacus)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 169: 215–234. doi: 10.1111/zoj.12057 .
  9. "Pine Grosbeak Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  10. CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN   978-0-8493-4258-5.
  11. Clement, Peter; Harris, Alan; Davis, John (1993). Finches and Sparrows: an Identification Guide. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN   0-691-03424-9.
  12. Adkisson, C. S. (1999). "Pine grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator)". In Poole, A. (ed.). The Birds of North America Online. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
  13. Töpfer, Till (2007). "Nachweise seltener Vogeltaxa (Aves) in Sachsen aus der ornithologischen Sammlung des Museums für Tierkunde Dresden" [Records of rare bird taxa (Aves) in Saxony from the ornithological collection of the Zoological Museum Dresden](PDF). Faunistische Abhandlungen (in German). 26 (3): 63–101.[ permanent dead link ]
  14. French, Norman R. (1954). "Notes on breeding activities and on gular sacs in the Pine Grosbeak" (PDF). The Condor. 56 (2): 83–85. doi:10.2307/1364663. JSTOR   1364663.