The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is related to cardinals and buntings, all characterized by stout beaks adapted to seed crushing. Grosbeaks, as implied by the name, have especially large beaks. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak nests over the northeastern and central states and north into Canada. Although they winter in the tropics, they are early arrivals in the spring nesting areas, arriving in late April to early May. Larger than buntings, they are about the size of the Northern Cardinal. In addition to the large pinkish beak, the male in breeding season has a rose-red breast and black head. Juveniles and females have black and white stripes on the head and streaked breasts. In addition to weed seeds, they eat harmful insects and are beneficial to farmers.
A similar species, the Black-headed Grosbeak, lives in the western states. The male of this species has an orange breast, much like a robin. The two species sometimes meet in the central states and occasionally interbreed. The song of both species is a robin-like warble, although more musical, with that of the Rose-breasted being slower than that of the other species.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is about 8 inches long, weighs 1.5 ounces, and has a wingspan of 12 inches. The birds will visit feeders during migration, eating sunflower seeds, peanuts, and safflower seeds. After arrival in the nesting area, the pair of Grosbeaks will care for 4-5 whitish eggs with purple spots. The male takes a turn during incubation, giving the female a few hours off, and he will keep on singing to her, but not to praise his nest-making prowess. The nest is not tightly made, consisting of small branches and grasses in a tree, and not usually high above the ground, so that the eggs may be visible to observers from below. Cornell University has long been recognized as authoritative for birds, and I strongly recommend the University website (https://allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rose-breasted-Grosbeak).
The scientific name of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is Pheucticus ludovicianus. The species name refers to Louisiana, from which a specimen was first described, probably in migration (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose-breasted-Grosbeak). The species is now placed in the Cardinalidae. Most bird watchers still use common names, which have historically been more stable and precise for birds, hence the use of capitalization, than for other vertebrates. But as genetics gives reason to reassign family relationships, there appears to be an increasing reliance on technical names. At least if two species are in the same genus you know that they are closely related.
Be aware that several other birds are called “grosbeaks” that are not necessarily closely related, such as the Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, both being in the finch family. Seed-eating has often led to selection for thick beaks, even in birds not closely related, including the Galapagos finches that Darwin observed during his voyage on the Beagle in the early 1800s. Although the birds on these islands west of South America are clearly recognizable as finches, some species are adapted to eat insects and have slender beaks, whereas seed-eaters have thicker beaks, and some even look like grosbeaks (except for dull coloration). This phenomenon of starting from different lifestyles, called niches in biology, and reaching the same adaptation to the same lifestyle is called convergent evolution. There is much left to be learned, and the bird-watcher needs to keep up to date.
Good references for identification include National Audubon Society: Field Guide to North American Birds (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1998) by John Bull and John Farrand, Jr., and National Audubon Society: The Sibley Guide to Birds (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 2000) by David Allen Sibley.
