The Evening Grosbeak Is Described As A ‘Tipping Point’ Bird Species

Many years ago when my wife and I became homeowners, we thought it would be nice to set out a bird feeder in the backyard and see what types of birds it would attract.

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Well, we failed to convince birds to come into our backyard and take advantage of the bird feeder filled with bird seed. We even tried putting out suet, to no avail.

We gave up for many years, but a few years ago, figured we'd give it another shot. This time, for whatever reason, birds started landing in our backyard to enjoy both a variety of bird seed and suet cake.

Maybe having a Holly Bush next to the hanging bird feeder and suet holder, along with a small Goldfish pond a few feet away helped to attract birds. We now have a variety of birds throughout the year depending in the season including Downy Woodpecker, Cardinal, Harry Woodpecker, Sparrow, Wren, Grackle, Nuthatch, House Finch, and Tufted Titmouse.

Our backyard also attracts red Tail Hawks, Crows, and the occasional Blue Jay.

One bird I would love to see, is an Evening Grosbeak. This bird can be seen mostly in the Western and Northeastern regions of the United States according to the  All About Birds website from Cornell University. The only type of Grosbeak we see in our backyard art the ones that are black and white with a red V-neck bib.

The American Bird Conservancy, reports that The State of the Birds 2022 Report notes that the Evening Grosbeak has lost 50 percent or more of its population from 1970 to 2019 and identifies as a 'tipping point' bird species,

The report from ABC states that some reasons could be because of habitat loss, and the use of pesticides that are used to control spruce budworm, which is an important food of the Evening Grosbeak.

The report goes on to mention that another reason for the decline in population could include window collisions and be hit by vehicles as flocks may gather on roadsides to pick up road salt and grit.

All About Birds notes that the Evening Grosbeak winters in forests, feeding in deciduous and coniferous trees, breeding in several types of trees including pine oak, spruce fir and pinyon juniper.

To learn more about the Evening Grosbeak, visit All About Birds and the American Bird Conservancy websites.