Black-headed Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus
Synopsis: Nests mainly in deciduous and mixed woods throughout Oregon, especially near water, but absent or sporadic at high elevations and in southeastern counties. Some of the records from rangeland areas may represent late migrants or non-breeding individuals.

A pair of a related eastern species, Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), was photographed in southeast Portland on July 7, 1999, and individuals (and occasionally pairs) of that species were noted at several other Oregon locations during breeding seasons 1995-1999. Given the distance to the nearest known regularly-breeding population (eastern Montana) and the possibility of hybrids, stronger evidence will be needed to confirm Rose-breasted Grosbeak nesting in Oregon.

Habitat Associations:
strongest
Douglas Fir-Mixed Deciduous Forest (2934 acres)
Douglas Fir-White Fir/Tanoak-Madrone Mixed Forest (1065771 acres)
Douglas Fir/White Oak Forest (196688 acres)
Douglas Fir dominant - Mixed Conifer Forest (2532000 acres)
Ponderosa Pine/White Oak Forest & Woodland (163195 acres)
Mixed Conifer/Mixed Deciduous Forest (1427049 acres)
Siskiyou Mtns Mixed Deciduous Forest (200392 acres)
White Oak Forest (115577 acres)
South coast Mixed Forest (2888 acres)
Western Oregon Riverine Woodland (27749 acres)
Streamside/Wetland Shrubland (1671 acres)
strong
Sitka Spruce-W. Hemlock Maritime Forest (402535 acres)
Jeffery Pine Forest/Woodland (53780 acres)
Conifer Woodland on Serpentine Bedrock (51874 acres)
Douglas Fir-W. Hemlock-W. Red Cedar Forest (6542670 acres)
Red Alder (125162 acres)
Aspen Groves (22102 acres)
Siskiyou Mtns Shrubland on Serpentine Bedrock (32403 acres)
Edges of Recently Cutover/Burnt Forest (1785667 acres)
some
Northeast Mixed Conifer Forest (2502109 acres)
Douglas Fir-Port Orford Cedar Forest (166447 acres)
Ponderosa Pine Forest/Woodland (4147524 acres)
Grassland & Fir-Ponderosa Interspersed (365288 acres)
Urban/Residential (603796 acres)
Edges of Cropland/Pasture/Orchard (5469786 acres)
Lake/Pond Shoreline & Islands (572570 acres)
lesser
Mountain Hemlock Montane Forest (266534 acres)
True Fir-Hemlock Montane Forest (1524542 acres)
Shasta Red Fir-Mountain Hemlock Forest (54084 acres)
Ponderosa Pine-dominant Mixed Conifer Forest (412624 acres)
Lodgepole Pine Forest/Woodland (197876 acres)
Northeast Canyon Grass & Shrubland (399563 acres)

Relative Detectability: Easy to detect by sight and song, and fairly easy to confirm breeding.

Challenge: Determine if this species breeds more widely than shown in riparian areas of southern Crook, Malheur, Sherman, and Gilliam Counties.