Identification - This bird is smaller than a robin. It is a squat finch with a large pale conical bill. It is black on the head, throat, back, wings and tail, and white on the breast and belly except for a solid red triangle on the chest. The wings have large white patches.
Morsels - Like the Warbling Vireo, the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak sometimes sings from the nest while incubating or brooding. If a pair of grosbeaks nest twice in a season, the male will care for the fledged young while the female builds a new nest. The male loses his flashy black and white plumage early in August. While molting he becomes very quiet. Many other songbirds act the same way during such molts making mid-summer a very quiet time for songbirds.