Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus)

Thanks to a tip from my neighbor Donna Grant, I was able to see this interesting female grosbeak today. This species has declined an alarming 92% since 1970 and is an increasingly scarce winter visitor to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is presumably the subspecies "C. v. brooksi" found throughout the western North American mountains and characterized by its large bill and narrow yellow forehead band. Formerly placed in the genus "Hesperiphona."