Blue Grosbeak

Passerina caerulea 
Cardinal family (Cardinalidae)

Large bunting, 6” long. Male (right in image) – dark blue overall with two reddish-brown wing bars; black feathers around base of bill. Female (left in image) – brown overall, dark wings and tail, occasional blue feathers on upper parts, two buffy-brown wing bars. Large gray conical bill.

Habitat:
Open meadows, forest edges.

Nesting:
Compact deep nest, placed 3 to 8 feet above the ground in a low tree or shrub, typically at the edge of an open area. Eggs are pale blue. Clutch size – 3 to 5 eggs.

Voice:

Song is a warbled phrase of musical notes.  Call is a loud “chink”.

Name Origin:

Passerina, Latin for “sparrow-like”; caerulea, Latin for “blue”.  “Grosbeak”:  gros, French for “large”; bec, French for “beak”.

In the Nature Park:
Neotropical migrant. Blue Grosbeaks have consistently been observed in the open meadows along the Quarry Trail on the northwest side of the Quarry Pond.

Photos: