The Evening Grosbeak is 6.3-7.1 inches (16-18 cm) in length with a wingspan of 11.8-14.2 inches (30-36 cm).
It has a strong, yellowish-green, cone-shaped bill; a short, black tail; and black wings with a white patch. The male has a yellow forehead, a dark brown cap, a lighter brown back, and a yellow breast and rump.
The female has a pale gray breast and rump and a darker gray back.
The Evening Grosbeak breeds in coniferous forests. It winters in coniferous, deciduous, or mixed forests.
Most of the Evening Grosbeak’s diet consists of seeds and fruits, but it also eats insects. It prefers the seeds of maple, spruce, pine, fir, and balsam trees.
The Evening Grosbeak is a common visitor to bird feeders and is especially fond of sunflower seeds.
The female Evening Grosbeak lays 3-4 eggs in a nest of pine needles, roots, and twigs, lined with grass, lichen, and moss. The female builds the nest, usually placed high in a tree. The female incubates the eggs for 12-14 days. The male brings food to the female while she incubates the eggs.
Both the male and the female feed the chicks. The chicks fledge (develop flight feathers) at around two weeks old, but their parents continue to feed them for a few weeks. Male and female pairs may have two broods a year.
The Evening Grosbeak has a lifespan of 5-7 years in the wild. The oldest recorded Evening Grosbeak lived to be 16 years, 3 months old
The Evening Grosbeak feeds in noisy flocks. It is a nomadic bird; if the food supply is low in an area, it will move in search of a better location. Some eastern populations migrate south in the winter. Other populations may migrate from high altitudes to lower altitudes.
Evening Grosbeaks were once rare in the eastern United States, but by the 1920s, they had become regular winter visitors in New England. Scientists think they spread east because people planted more box elder trees, which provided food for the birds.
Box elder trees became popular in towns and cities because they grew quickly and gave plenty of shade. Their seeds also became an important food source for Evening Grosbeaks.
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The Evening Grosbeak breeds in coniferous forests, usually in northern New Hampshire. In the winter, it is found across the state.
The Evening Grosbeak breeds across much of southern Canada south to northern California, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Lakes, and the Northeastern United States.
It winters throughout the United States, except for the southernmost parts of the southeastern United States.
