Black-thighed Grosbeak
Encyclopedia
The Black-thighed Grosbeak, Pheucticus tibialis, is a large seed
-eating bird
in the cardinal family
, which is endemic to the mountains of Costa Rica
and western Panama
.
This species breeds from about 1000m altitude (Pacific slope) or 1500 m (Caribbean
slope) up to 2600 m and is found in canopy, woodland edge and semi-open habitats such as pasture with some trees. The nest is a thin cup constructed on a bulky twig base 1–3 m up in a small tree or amongst vines. The female lays two brown-spotted pale blue eggs between March and May.
The adult Black-thighed Grosbeak is 20 cm long, weighs 70 g, and has a massive grey bill. The male has a yellow head, rump and underparts, an olive-edged black back, and black wings, thighs and tail. There is a white patch on the flight feathers. The female is paler with more olive on the back and a smaller white wing patch. Immatures are duller and more olive-tinged, and have streaking and mottling on the body plumage.
The Black-thighed Grosbeak forages in shrubs or trees for insect
s, seeds and berries
. The call is a sharp pink, and the song is a musical stream of warbles, whistles, trills and slurs.
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
-eating bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the cardinal family
Cardinal (bird)
The Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America. The South American cardinals in the genus Paroaria are placed in another family, the Thraupidae ....
, which is endemic to the mountains of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and western Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.
This species breeds from about 1000m altitude (Pacific slope) or 1500 m (Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
slope) up to 2600 m and is found in canopy, woodland edge and semi-open habitats such as pasture with some trees. The nest is a thin cup constructed on a bulky twig base 1–3 m up in a small tree or amongst vines. The female lays two brown-spotted pale blue eggs between March and May.
The adult Black-thighed Grosbeak is 20 cm long, weighs 70 g, and has a massive grey bill. The male has a yellow head, rump and underparts, an olive-edged black back, and black wings, thighs and tail. There is a white patch on the flight feathers. The female is paler with more olive on the back and a smaller white wing patch. Immatures are duller and more olive-tinged, and have streaking and mottling on the body plumage.
The Black-thighed Grosbeak forages in shrubs or trees for insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, seeds and berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
. The call is a sharp pink, and the song is a musical stream of warbles, whistles, trills and slurs.