Common Name: Southern Yellow Grosbeak
Scientific Name: Pheucticus chrysogaster
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cardinalidae
Genus: Pheucticus
Species: P. chrysogaster
The rain forests of our planet are filled with different kinds of wildlife most of us
have never seen. In the jungles of Central and South America there lives a bird that is
a relative to the common cardinal of North America. The bird is known as pheucticus
chrysogaster, or the southern yellow grosbeak. It is yellow like a little chirping, banana!
This small, tropical bird is related to many other small types of birds that we
commonly see in our nation. It belongs to the same Family of birds as the cardinal,
Cardinalidae, and is closely related to the finch and weaver birds (Campbell & Lack,
1985). The grosbeak is quite small, weighing only 55.8 grams on average, and has a
very short life span—only about 5 years (Birdlife International, 2013).
The Population size is unknown but it lives across a 349,000 square kilometer
area spanning Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela (Birdlife International, 2013).
There is no evidence that this bird is at any risk of extinction, and populations are very
stable and spread out over a large area, so this animal is not an endangered species
(Birdlife International, 2012). In fact many people living in Central and South America
have the grosbeak as a pet!
The southern yellow grosbeak usually eat berries and fruits, but will also eat
insects if they get hungry enough (LePage, 2003). Grosbeaks are also very small,
so they would make a good snack for bigger birds and animals. Because of this, the
grosbeak likes to hunt in small groups for safety. These small groups are referred to as
flocks.
The grosbeak is one of many interesting, diverse species of animals that live in
the rainforest in Central and South America. Like its cousins the cardinals, finches and
weavers it is a small bird that is just the right size to be a pet. Learning about this bird
taught me that animals come in all shapes and sizes. Just like people, their diversity is
what makes them unique and interesting.
Author: Ernesto L
Published: 02/2014
Sources:
BirdLife International 2012. Pheucticus chrysogaster. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species. Version 2013. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 17
February 2014
Campbell, B., & Lack, E. (1985). Grosbeak. In B. Campbell (Ed.), A dictionary of birds.
Vermillion, South Dakota: Buteo Books.
Lepage, D. (2003, June 24). Pheucticus chrysogaster - avibase. Retrieved
from http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?
avibaseid=B653A80B41BD7AE6
Whitlock, J. (2004). The online zoo - southern yellow grosbeak. Retrieved from http://