386 
PASSERIFORMES 
Field Marks. Size, general colour of adult, like a small Pine Grosbeak. General 
olive and white streakiness of the female and juvenile. Probably not separable from the 
Purple Finch in life, except on geographical considerations. 
Nesting. In coniferous trees; nest of twigs, grass, and rootlets. 
Distribution. Western North America. In Canada, regularly found only in the 
southern interior of British Columbia, east of the Coast Range. It thus fills the gap 
between the Eastern Purple Finch of the prairies and the California Purple Finch of 
the coast; a distinct but closely allied species interposed between the ranges of two allied 
subspecies. 
General habits and economic status not differing greatly from those of 
the Common Purple Finch. 
515. Pine Grosbeak, le gros-bec des pins. Pinicola enucleator. L, 9-08. Plate 
LXXIX A. One of the largest of the sparrows, with typical, heavy grosbeak bill (like 
Figure 466). Dull, uniform grey, but the adult male suffused with strong rosy or scarlet 
hues over head, back, wings, and breast. Females and juveniles with rusty yellow suffusion 
over head and rump. 
Distinctions. The red male is rather similar to the Purple Finches, but is a rosier red 
and much larger. By reason of winter occurrence in most localities, likely to be confused 
only with the Evening Grosbeak. The Pine Grosbeak, however, has a dark instead of a 
light-coloured bill, and the wings are dull brownish grey with white wing-bars, but not 
conspicuously black and white. Unlike the female Rose-breasted or Black-headed Gros- 
beaks it has no stripes anywhere in any plumage. 
Field Marks. Size; dark, grosbeak bill, and the general red of adult male. The 
majority of birds that come south during migration are in the dull juvenile or female 
plumage, and a flock gives the effect of a number of large, dull, slate-coloured birds, in 
favourable lights warming to yellow on crown and rump. They are usually accompanied 
by a few rosy red individuals. The ordinary notes are ridiculously small and thin for so 
large a bird, though it has a clear, loud whistle. 
Nesting. In coniferous trees; nest of twigs and rootlets. 
Distribution. Northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. In America, the 
northern parts of the continent and down the mountains to New Mexico. In Canada, 
breeding in the northern coniferous forest and south along the western mountains. 
Migrates southward in winter. 
SUBSPECIES. Divided, by slight characters, into a number of geographical races. 
Those accepted in the Check-list for Canada are as follows: the Canadian Pine Gros- 
beak (le Gros-bec des pins du Canada) Pinicola enucleator leucura is the eastern bird, 
breeding throughout the northern forest, west to the Mackenzie. The Rocky Moun- 
tain Pine Grosbeak (le Gros-bec des pins des Roeheuses) Pinicola enucleator montana of 
the boreal summits of the mountains from central Alberta southward. The Alaska Pine 
Grosbeak (le Gros-bec des pins de l'Alaska) Pinicola enucleator alascensis breeds from the 
Mackenzie into Alaska and down the mountains to the state of Washington. The Kodiak 
Pine Grosbeak (le Gros-bec des pins de Kodiak) Pinicola enucleator fiammula breeds on 
the southern Alaskan coast. A rich rosy form from the Queen Charlotte Islands (le Gros- 
bec des pins de Reine-Charlotte) Pinicola enucleator carlottae, the best-marked form of 
all, has recently been described. All these forms may occur south of their breeding range 
in winter migration. As the characters are difficult of recognition, the wanderings of the 
races have not been accurately mapped. 
These, throughout most of southern Canada, are winter visitors from 
the north. Their presence can rarely be anticipated, for their movements 
are ver} r irregular. They are frequenters of coniferous trees, but are very 
fond of the mountain-ash or rowan-tree berries and the fruit of the sumach. 
Economic Status. As the Pine Grosbeak spends the summer in the 
northern woods and visits settled sections only in winter, the damage it 
can do is reduced to a minimum. It eats wild and waste fruit left hanging 
on the trees, so that its economic effect is too slight to be appreciable. 
