Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Black-thighed Grosbeak (Pheucticus tibialis)
Black-thighed Grosbeak

Black-thighed Grosbeak

Pheucticus tibialis

The Black-thighed Grosbeak, Pheucticus tibialis, presents itself as a robust seed-eater, a member of the Cardinalidae family. This bird is a proud endemic resident of the mountainous regions of Costa Rica and western Panama.

Identification Tips

Adults measure a notable 20 cm in length and tip the scales at approximately 70 g. They boast a substantial grey bill. Males are distinguished by their vibrant yellow head, rump, and underparts, contrasted with an olive-edged black back, and black wings, thighs, and tail, accented by a striking white patch on the flight feathers. Females are somewhat more subdued, with paler tones and a greater infusion of olive on the back, accompanied by a less conspicuous white wing patch. The immature birds are duller, tinged with olive, and exhibit streaking and mottling on their body plumage.

Habitat

The Black-thighed Grosbeak favors the canopy, woodland edges, and semi-open habitats, such as pastures dotted with trees, from altitudes of about 1,000 m on the Pacific slope and 1,500 m on the Caribbean slope, ascending to 2,600 m.

Distribution

This species is confined to the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama, where it is a symbol of the region's rich avian diversity.

Behaviour

The Black-thighed Grosbeak is known to forage in shrubs or trees, displaying a preference for insects, seeds, and berries.

Song & Calls

Listeners are treated to a sharp "pink" call, while the bird's song is a delightful and musical stream of warbles, whistles, trills, and slurs.

Breeding

Breeding season sees the construction of a thin cup nest on a bulky twig base, positioned 1–3 m up in a small tree or amongst vines. The female lays two brown-spotted pale blue eggs between March and May, heralding the continuation of the species.

Conservation status

The Black-thighed Grosbeak is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, indicating a stable population within its limited range.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Black-thighed Grosbeaks on Birda

Sightings
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Adrian Cordero
Adrian Cordero
17 Nov 2024 - 11:45am
Costa Rica

More Cardinals & Allies

A photo of a Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) , male

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
Chudbond
Love Birda
I love this app. It really encourages you to log your sightings and the community is friendly and helpful.
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Jane N
A great app
Enjoying it immensely and finding it useful too. Recording the different birds and counting them is showing me how the present climate is affecting them all. I've trebled the numbers by planting native hedging. A great app.
Abi.M
Awesome App
I really enjoy using this app! It is such a friendly community of bird-lovers who are happy to help if I need ID advice. It’s been great motivation to get outdoors and go birding more! 10/10 😍😍
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Erna M
I really like Birda
I really like Birda. I also use other birding apps and have Birda with E-bird going at the same time.
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❤️
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.