The Pine Grosbeak is a widespread species across Canada's boreal and taiga regions, and along the west coast. The population status of this irruptive species is poorly understood; monitoring data are limited and no survey provides good coverage of its northern breeding population. Based on the Christmas Bird Count, which monitors the species during the winter, the abundance of Pine Grosbeak in Canada is thought to have shown a moderate increase in numbers since the early 1970s. However, the reliability of this assessment is considered low. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The Pine Grosbeak is an irruptive species, typically found within the boreal forest extending south during irruptive years (Adkisson 1996). Studies in Finland have shown large declines of taiga species, including Pine Grosbeak, following deforestation (Virkkala 1991); clear-cutting is also a concern (Adkisson 1996). In a study matching trends between recent distributional changes of northern-boreal birds of Finland, Virkkala et al. 2014 observed a significant decline of the Pine Grosbeak (27%) in the occupying rate without noting a northward movement of the species. The National Audubon Society's study on climate change has predicted a contraction in the availability of the species' summer range, especially in high altitude areas, and a northward shift in the availability of their winter range (National Audubon Society 2015).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
