Evening Grosbeak
Evening Grosbeak has held roughly steady: up 8% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Evening Grosbeak
The Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) is a North American member of the Finches (Fringillidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4.5–6.5 in long (11–16 cm) — a small songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 660 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 21 states, most concentrated in the Atlantic Northern Forest.
- Family
- Fringillidae · Forest birds
Notable Evening Grosbeak Trends
No notable trend signals for Evening Grosbeak. See the full index history below.
Evening Grosbeak Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Evening Grosbeak is projected to rise about 44% by 2029 — from 0.14 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.20 (95% range 0.00–0.54). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±68%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.22 | 0.00 | 0.56 |
| 2026 | 0.21 | 0.00 | 0.56 |
| 2027 | 0.21 | 0.00 | 0.55 |
| 2028 | 0.20 | 0.00 | 0.55 |
| 2029 | 0.20 | 0.00 | 0.54 |
Where the Evening Grosbeak Is Detected
BBS routes recording Evening Grosbeak, sized by most recent count.
Evening Grosbeak Population Trend by State
| Arizona | -89% | 1987 | 9 |
| California | -49% | 1973 | 62 |
| Colorado | +43% | 1975 | 56 |
| Connecticut | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Idaho | -82% | 1972 | 36 |
| Maine | -86% | 1968 | 67 |
| Massachusetts | -17% | 1991 | 5 |
| Michigan | -73% | 1968 | 38 |
| Minnesota | -85% | 1970 | 24 |
| Montana | -92% | 1970 | 44 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Hampshire | -79% | 1968 | 22 |
| New Mexico | -43% | 1973 | 11 |
| New York | -83% | 1970 | 30 |
| Oregon | -58% | 1970 | 96 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Utah | -94% | 1986 | 14 |
| Vermont | -71% | 1968 | 21 |
| Washington | -69% | 1970 | 75 |
| Wisconsin | -42% | 1970 | 30 |
| Wyoming | -74% | 1980 | 14 |
Evening Grosbeak Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -37% | 1970 | 99 |
| Great Basin | -79% | 1970 | 76 |
| Northern Rockies | -93% | 1970 | 114 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -75% | 1968 | 88 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -94% | 1968 | 131 |
| Sierra Nevada | -64% | 1973 | 30 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +73% | 1970 | 81 |
| Badlands and Prairies | -93% | 1981 | 9 |
Evening Grosbeak Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 8% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.