Diet
What do pine grosbeaks eat?
Buds, seeds and fruit; grit and salt in winter.
Finches (Fringillidae)Pine GrosbeakPinicola enucleator
Spring and summer diet
- Spruce and fir buds, dandelion seeds and insects
Fall and winter diet
- Mountain-ash, crabapple and ash seeds
Best feeder foods
- Black-oil sunflower
- Hulled sunflower
An irruptive winter finch — some years it swarms northern feeders, other years it stays in the boreal forest.
Where pine grosbeaks need winter food
Regions where pine grosbeaks are present in the cold months:
AlaskaAlbertaBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaConnecticutIllinoisIndianaIowaMaineManitobaMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMissouriNevadaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkNewfoundland and LabradorNorthwest TerritoriesNova ScotiaNunavutOhioOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaPrince Edward IslandQuebecRhode IslandSaskatchewanVermontWashingtonWisconsinYukon
Frequently asked
What do pine grosbeaks eat?
Buds, seeds and fruit; grit and salt in winter.
What is the best food to feed pine grosbeaks?
Black-oil sunflower, Hulled sunflower.
What do pine grosbeaks eat in winter?
Mountain-ash, crabapple and ash seeds.
Sources
- Pine Grosbeak — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Pine Grosbeak life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Pine Grosbeak — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.