Black-Headed Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus
Most Black-Headed Grosbeaks migrate to the western United States to breed, and they winter in Baja California and Central America (some live there all year). The upper left photograph is of a fully-grown male displaying its black head. The upper right photograph is also of a male, but a younger one (perhaps a yearling) whose black head plumage has not fully developed. Both of these were taken in Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, CA on May 30, 2011. The bottom photograph is of a female eating plums, taken on July 8, 2016 at the upper San Leandro Reservoir in Moraga, CA (accessed from the EBMUD Valle Vista Staging Area, permit required). The females are less colorful, although this photograph reveals some bright yellow plumage that is sometimes visible during flight. (Click on images to see enlarged versions.)