Rose-breasted grosbeak

 

The Westmoreland banding season has begun with the return of many migratory species.  Rose-breasted grosbeaks put many miles on each year, traveling as far south as Columbia and as far north as Canada. This time of year, these frugivores (fruit/seed eaters) are busy foraging, building nests, and raising young in our neck of the woods. Males have a striking black and white coat with a red breast.  Females are more of a neutral brown, blending in more with their environment to protect eggs in the nest.  

 

-Alice Roosevelt, Westmoreland Naturalist, B.S. Conservation Biology, SUNY ESF