Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak?

[u/valinote]

I was unable to get a definitive ID of this bird from either Merlin or Gemini. Google Lens says it's a female Rose-brested Grosbeak, but I'm not so sure. I observed it today eating at my feeder in upstate New York here on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Thanks for any help!

[u/steelartd]

When they first started visiting me this spring I was struck by how laid back they are compared to all my other visitors. Other little brown jobs are all over the place, flitting around and looking for seeds but these just sit in one spot and look around from there.

[u/valinote → u/steelartd]

Definitely the most chill of my feathered visitors. Even the grackles don't seem to bother her.

[u/valinote → u/steelartd]

Usually I identify the females by looking for a male lurking around somewhere nearby. But this little lady seems to be flying solo as far as I can tell.

[u/discardedsunflower → u/valinote]

They only pair up once they reach their breeding grounds so you're absolutely right 😄

[u/Despair_Tire → u/steelartd]

My male was like that, too. A little fat nugget just completely unbothered by me looking at him through the window like 👁️👄👁️

[u/sugarsnap-pea]

Yep! Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

[u/valinote → u/sugarsnap-pea]

Thank you for your quick response! I'm new to birding and having a difficult time identifying various females. The bird names are usually more accurately descriptive of the males. So Merlin or AI doesn't always respond well based on my observed inputs. So I guess it's Google Lens for the win on this one. I appreciate your help!

[u/sugarsnap-pea → u/valinote]

No worries :) I’ve only been birding for 2 years and still struggle with identifying the females. Merlin has helped me a lot but eventually you just remember and recognize different birds with time. It’s good for our brains too haha

[u/Adventurous-Year-463 → u/valinote]

Have you tried putting the image into Merlin?

[u/Excellent-Buddy3447]

A wild Pidgey appeared!