Earlier this week we had three Black-headed Grosbeaks come to our backyard feeder. While this was an unusual thing for us (first time at our feeders), BH Grosbeaks are not unusual this time of year, so I did not bother posting.
However, one of the Grosbeaks returned a couple of times over the past few days, and yesterday we had better looks and I got a few pictures.
I spent a long time researching various books, apps, and websites. I am no longer fully convinced this is a BH Grosbeak, and the only thing I am sure of is that this bird is a bit weird. I am posting here to get some opinions on what species this is.
Here are a few things I noticed to jump-start the conversation:
* this bird was definitely larger than the nearby House Finches and I think the beak is quite a bit larger than possible finches
* the chest, belly, and flanks are heavily streaked on white (there is a bit of a glow from a patch of CA Poppies below, but it is definitely white) similar to a Rose-breasted Grosbeak female
* the upper mandible appears to be a different color than the lower, but the contrast is not dramatic to me
* the eyebrow stripe (supercillium) is quite weak for a grosbeak, but does extend to the back of the neck (nape) like the BH and RB Grosbeaks females
* whatever white head striping (median and crown stripe) that should be present is very weak
* similarly, the jawline white stripe (malar) is somewhat weak and includes some yellowing
