BLUE POP

Learning birds means learning the names of birds, and as much as I try to go with the flow, some birds have names that just sound wrong to me. Many times I prefer their older nicknames. A case in point is the bird with the likable nickname of Blue Pop, a bird known to the world as the Blue Grosbeak. The “gros” in this name is not “gross” as in “yuk” but as in “grande” — a reflection of their very large beaks.       Grosbeaks are not uncommon birds. Perhaps their best-known relative is the Northern Cardinal, another bird with a great big beak. There are Black-Headed, Rose-Breasted, and Evening Grosbeaks, in addition to those that are blue. Blue Grosbeaks inhabit a territory even grander than their Cardinal cousins, being widespread across the southern states, though not often found farther north.       But don’t feel bad if you’ve never seen one. If you catch only a glimpse, you might confuse Blue Pop for a grackle or a starling. Like many birds, their vivid colors melt into shadow unless the sun is shining on them. In fact the very existence of Blue Grosbeaks makes it worth checking out all those oil-slick-colored birds, just in case one of them turns out to be Blue Pop!       To conjure up an image of this dark blue bird, imagine a Cardinal but shorten the tail and round off the crest. Paint the bird a deep, metallic blue that darkens to black on the wings and tail. The only exception to this regulation blue is a set of bars across the wings the color of old red bricks. These distinctive shoulder bars can help you tell Blue Pop from all its bluish kin.      That great big beak is like a hunk of polished pewter — thick and wide, and dominating Blue Pop’s face.       All in all, a Blue Grosbeak gives you more blue for your buck than, say, an Eastern Bluebird, a bright blue bird for the most part, but with much red and white underneath. The Blue Grosbeak appears to be entirely attired in a suit of oxidized armor, with a crested helmet to match.       This crest is something of a puzzle to me, because not one of my books does it justice. Most show the bird as round-headed, or with something of a cowlick on top. But the few Blue Grosbeaks I’ve ever seen had a crest near as high as a Cardinal’s.       The first time I ever saw Blue Pop, I was served a double helping. There were two birds sitting on the sidewalk just outside my screen door, so close I had no need of binoculars.       I’d never heard of a Blue Grosbeak then, but it didn’t take long to discover which blue bird has brick-red bars on the shoulders.       It was awhile before I saw Blue Pop again. One sunny day in April, a blue bird flew into view. I thought at first it was an Eastern Bluebird, but it was darker and so thoroughly blue that I caught my breath and took another look. Complete with terracotta shoulders, it was Blue Pop back again!       A Blue Pop perches in an upright way, as though it had been called to attention. It often hunts from a favorite perch, returning again and again. A grosbeak’s diet is mostly the kind of insects we could do without, like grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles. And the Blue Grosbeak weaves a snakeskin into its nest, for mysterious reasons no one can explain.       So try not to overlook old Blue Pop — a bird dark blue nearly bottom to top.