Unusual Bird Sighting May Be a Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator)

Observation by Anne Morris:

These were in my backyard. I live in Sand Point, AK. Robert or I have never seen these birds before. We do not know what kind they are. Robert Morris Jr. took the photo.

Comments from LEO Editors:

These appear to be male Pine Grosbeaks (Pinicola enucleator), identifiable by their grey rump-plumage and red heads with a white wing bar. They reside in areas with spruce, pine and fir trees with high availability of the main components of their diet of buds, seeds, and fruits from spruce, pine, juniper, birch, mountain ash, maple, box elder, crabapple, blackberry, ragweed, and burdock (sourced from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Pine Grosbeak Species Profile). This makes Sand Point a great place for them to hop around and graze the foliage!

The habitat map below from The Cornell Lab indicates the species range extends close to Sand Point, and the Guide to Alaska Trees by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Services marks Sand Point as having prime tree habitat for this species. Further information on Pine Grosbeak and its species range can be found on eBird, a site operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology which provides a global database of bird observations. For interesting bird sightings, eBird is a great place to post report and track your bird watching in a personal account under "My eBird." You can make an account for free on the site here. Chyna Williams