NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black-headed Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus (Swainson, 1827)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) is a medium-sized, seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the rose-breasted grosbeak (P. ludovicianus) with which it hybridizes on the American Great Plains.
The 19 cm (7.5 in) long, 47 g (1.7 oz) black-headed grosbeak is a migratory bird, with nesting grounds from southwestern British Columbia, through the western half of the United States, into central Mexico. It occurs as a vagrant further south in Central America.
Wikipedia contributors, Black-headed grosbeak; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:48:35.181849+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pheucticus melanocephalus (Swainson, 1827)
- Name authority
- (Swainson, 1827)
- Common name
- Black-headed Grosbeak
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cardinalidae
- Genus
- Pheucticus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCardinalidae
- genusPheucticus Reichenbach, 1850
- speciesPheucticus melanocephalus (Swainson, 1827)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pheucticus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Golden GrosbeakPheucticus chrysogaster (Lesson, 1832) | CardinalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-backed GrosbeakPheucticus aureoventris (d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) | CardinalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mexican Yellow GrosbeakPheucticus chrysopeplus (Vigors, 1832) | CardinalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus (Linnaeus, 1766) | CardinalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-thighed GrosbeakPheucticus tibialis Lawrence, 1867 | CardinalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=179140 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4G3K4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.