Subject: Crimson Grosbeak
Date: Jun 30 17:07:02 1999
From: Greg Toffic - greg.toffic at zoo.org


Scott Downes wrote.....

....If this bird is a a Crimson Grosbeak, its likely to be an escape, though I'm not sure how common they are even in zoos? ...

Crimson-collared grosbeaks are not common in zoos. There are none currently in U.S. collections, and none held legally in private hands. However, in their native Mexico, I have been told, they are regularly kept as cage birds. When a crimson-collared grosbeak showed up in a McAllen, TX neighborhood years ago (15-20 yrs?), there was much debate over the origin of the bird, because it was so popular as a cage bird not far away in Mexico. This bird was accepted by the Texas Bird Records Committee. I don't recall if there have been subsequent sightings of this species in the U.S., especially anywhere near Port Angeles.
Greg Toffic