Alternative name: Mexican Yellow Grosbeak
- Pheucticus chrysopeplus
Identification
21·5–24 cm
- Light lemon underparts
- Black back with yellow mottling
- Yellow rump
- Black upper tail coverts with white tips
- Black wings and tail with white spots, patches, and wingbars
- Greyish-black bill
Females are similar, apart from:
- Olive upperparts
- Dark streaks on the crown and back
- White markings on the wings (the white base of the primaries are smaller)
Distribution
Central America: found in Mexico and Guatemala
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- P. c. dilutus:
- Highlands of north-western Mexico (southern Sonora, south-western Chihuahua and northern Sinaloa)
- P. c. chrysopeplus:
- Highlands of western Mexico (Sinaloa to Guerrero and south-western Puebla)
- P. c. aurantiacus:
- Highlands of southern Mexico (Chiapas) to central Guatemala
Habitat
Tropical deciduous forest, riverine woodland and scrub.
Behaviour
Breeding
The nest is a cup formed from roots, leaves and grass, placed in a small tree or bush. The clutch consists of 2-5 pale blue or greenish eggs, which have brown and grey speckling.
Diet
Their diet consists almost entirely of fruit.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2014)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Yellow Grosbeak. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Yellow_Grosbeak