Male and female are very different! The male is very colorful, with a black head and back, a white belly and a pink spot on the chest which gives its name to the species. The female is striped brown and has a broad white eyebrow. Her belly is white. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak's beak is thick and pale pink. It measures about 20 centimeters and weighs about 45 grams, about the weight of a clementine. It has a wingspan of about 30 cm. He lives up to 9 years.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is insectivorous, but also eats seeds and fruits occasionally. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak, when displaying, chases the female while singing. It then crouches, spreading and lowering its wings, with fanned tail and slightly raised. The couple is monogamous. Both male and female incubate the eggs. The male takes care of it for several hours during the day and the female takes care of it the rest of the day and night. The female feeds more than the male.