The Beakless Grosbeak
Can a grosbeak survive without
its eponymous feature?
It’s been a few months since I last saw her, and not a day has gone by that she hasn’t crossed my
mind. Every time I look outside, I
half expect to see her at her favorite feeder, perched in the serviceberry, or at the birdbath getting
a drink of water. So what makes
this one grosbeak so special?
While waiting for my bet-
ter half, Dave, to get ready for
dinner one late June day, I did a
quick check of the bird feeders.
Something caught my attention: a
rose-breasted grosbeak. Of course,
these beauties always capture my
attention, but something about
this bird looked different. I raised
my binoculars and focused on the
bird, but it flew off almost imme-
diately. I could tell the bird was a
fledgling, but there was something
else about it that I noticed. It had
no bill—at least, I didn’t think it
did. The look was all too brief.
Still, I was upset at what I thought
I saw. I had just been thinking
earlier about how all the young
grosbeaks looked so perfect this
year, as always.
