Part of that is an artifact of the glare of the sun hitting the black feathers. It might also be that the male is a young bird still not quite transitioned to its fully mature coloration.
It could be the light, but I don’t think a transitional male would have the defined black black head and full red bib. It could be an oddly, partially leucistic bird. Was it the normal color when you saw it?
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3 comments on “Participant Photo: A pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks share a hopper feeder”
I’ve never seen an adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak with brown wing and back feathers before. Very interesting.
Part of that is an artifact of the glare of the sun hitting the black feathers. It might also be that the male is a young bird still not quite transitioned to its fully mature coloration.
It could be the light, but I don’t think a transitional male would have the defined black black head and full red bib. It could be an oddly, partially leucistic bird. Was it the normal color when you saw it?