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Evening Grosbeak Male One of my earliest paintings, this was a gift for my mother, Mary DeMoranville. The background was done with wet-on-wet watercolor, retaining the white of the paper for the snow. The bird was painted on dry paper with intense watercolor to stand out from the snow like a living jewel. The Evening Grosbeak, Coccothraustes vespertinus, is a large, stocky finch with a short black tail, black wings, and a large pale bill. The adult male has a bright yellow forehead and body; its head is brown and there is a large white patch on the wing. The adult female is mainly olive-brown. Its breeding habitat is coniferous and mixed forest across British Columbia east to Nova Scotia and south to northern New England, Minnesota, the mountains of Mexico, and California. These birds winter south to California, Texas, and South Carolina. Evening grosbeaks are especially beautiful winter visitors. When a flock settles down at a backyard feeder, it can clean out a large amount of sunflower seeds in a short time. Click here for availability and price.