Bog Attraction

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches

Like the Golden-winged Warbler (3 posts before this one), the Evening Grosbeak has also been given the unfortunate distinction as being a tipping point species. It is a bird that has lost half of its population in the past 50 years and is on track to lose another half if nothing changes in the next 50 years. "It's unknown what's causing the decline – disease, climate change, shifts in land use, some combination of those, or a different factor that scientists have yet to uncover."(1)

This bird is an irruptive species whereby in certain years, it will appear in erratic numbers far south of its normal range. It also has a unique survival technique that is beneficial during harsh winters. Their esophagus contains an extension called an esophageal diverticula (a pouch) that's used to store whole seeds which are later regurgitated, broken up, and swallowed as food when needed.

Sightings of the Evening Grosbeak can no longer be guaranteed in certain parts of the country, and if they are spotted, their numbers have declined substantially. Specifically since 1966, they have declined by 75% across their entire range. 

References

(1) Where are the Grosbeaks? (2022, October). Birdwatching. 36(5), pg. 6.

Kricher, J. C. (2020). Peterson reference guide to bird behavior. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Three Years After 3 Billion Birds Lost, America's Birds Are Still in Decline. (2023, Winter). Living Bird, 42(1), p. 19.

Von Herff, W. (2023, Dec.). Frontiers in ornithology: How winter finch irruptions are changing-and what that means for birders. Birding, 55(7), 22-25.