Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
The sound is often given by both nestlings at once. If disturbed, nestlings can also stomp
their feet or loudly flap their wings.
Scientists are still trying to tease out the relationship of American vultures to hawks
andtostorks.Traditionally,vultureshavebeenclassifiedwithhawks,basedonmanyfea-
tures and their need for meat. But in the 1990s, they were placed in the same order as
storks based on many similar features, such as bald heads, perforated nostrils, and a curi-
ous habit of urinating on their legs to cool off. Then thanks to reanalysis of DNA, they
were placed closer to hawks again.
Regardless of where they really belong, it's appealing to consider the similarities of
storks, the birds that most symbolize birth, with vultures, the birds that most symbolize
death. And it's also interesting to note that vultures, as well as crows and ravens, seem to
avoid scavenging the carcasses of other large black birds.
Q I often see a crowd of Cedar Waxwings and/or robins on my crabapple trees in
the late winter, but once I saw two pairs of Pine Grosbeaks. They stayed for about
20 minutes, eating the fruit and bathing in an icy puddle in the yard. What is their
usual habitat and might I see them again here in western Massachusetts?
A
Pine Grosbeaks are members of the finch family, along with goldfinches, redpolls, sis-
kins, Purple and House finches, crossbills, and Evening Grosbeaks. They breed in sub-
arctic and boreal forests in Asia, Europe, and, in North America, from eastern Canada to
western Alaska. They also breed in coniferous forests of western mountain ranges and
in coastal and island rain forests of Alaska and British Columbia. Like other northern
finches,PineGrosbeakmigrationsareunpredictable.Buttheymovesouthwardlessoften
than, and don't go as far south as, many other “winter finches.”
Theyaren'tparticularlydrawntorobinsorwaxwingsbutareattractedtomountainash
and crabapple, and so are often found feeding with them in winter. Male and female Pine
Grosbeaks are very territorial during the breeding season — both will fight off members
of their own sex that invade their territory. But after the young fledge, Pine Grosbeaks
become gregarious and associate in flocks. It's possible that their winter flocks are com-
posed of family members. As I noted, they come south occasionally but not predictably.
When they appear in Massachusetts, it's something to treasure.
A MAGIC MOMENT
The very first Pine Grosbeak
Ieversawwasayoungmaleseparatedfromhisflock.
I heard him before I saw him and whistled back to him when I was still more than a
block away. I walked toward the sound of his whistle, continuing to answer his persist-
