Even if you can’t name the rose-breasted grosbeak, you most likely have identified one.
The “red bib,” juxtaposed against a white belly and black throat, is visually arousing. Red, more than any other color, creates a physiological response in people.
The birds show up at feeding stations for a few days in May and then seemingly disappear. They nest in Iowa, but after May they are more often heard than seen.
Their call sounds like an over-caffeinated American robin, nearly twice as fast and with higher highs and lower lows.
Learn how your next cup of coffee impacts grosbeaks and other neotropical migrants.
Mike Havlik is a naturalist with the Dallas County Conservation Department.
