Brown-capped rosy finch
| Brown-capped rosy finch | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Fringillidae |
| Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
| Genus: | Leucosticte |
| Species: | L. australis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leucosticte australis Ridgway, 1874
| |
| |
| blue: breeding; yellow: wintering | |
The brown-capped rosy finch (Leucosticte australis) is a medium-sized finch endemic to North America.[2]
Adults are brown on the head, back, and breast. The belly and rump are pink, with additional pink shading on the wings and tail.[2][3] The pink is pronounced on the male but more subdued on the female.[2] The forehead is black or grayish brown.[3] The bill is yellow in winter and black in summer.[2] These birds have short black legs and a long forked tail.
Their breeding habitat is mountain peaks in the central Rocky Mountains of the United States.[2][4] They build a cup nest in a cavity on a cliff, or re-use abandoned cliff swallow nests. In winter, these birds migrate short distances to lower elevations.[2][4]
These birds can be found in alpine snowfields and also at feeders, especially in the winter.[5] They forage on the ground, but may fly to catch insects in flight.[2] They mainly eat seeds from weeds and grasses and insects. They often feed in small flocks with other rosy finches.[5]
At one time, the three North American rosy finches were considered to be one species.[6]
Despite fears that the population of this bird is declining, an analysis published in 2023 found a healthy population with more than three times the birds estimated in a 2016 report.[6]
Gallery
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Sandia Peak - New Mexico
References
[edit]- ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Leucosticte australis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22728985A131480347. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22728985A131480347.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
- ^ a b "Brown-capped Rosy-Finch - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
- ^ a b "Brown-capped Rosy-Finch | Audubon Field Guide". www.audubon.org. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
- ^ a b "Brown-capped Rosy-Finch - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
- ^ a b Rutter, Jordan (2023-07-06). "Demystifying Rosy-Finches: Understanding the American West's Off-the-Grid Endemics". American Bird Conservancy. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
External links
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Further reading
[edit]Book
[edit]- Johnson, R. E., P. Hendricks, D. L. Pattie, and K. B. Hunter. 2000. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte australis). In The Birds of North America, No. 536 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
Articles
[edit]- Banks RC & Browning MR. (1980). Correct Citations for Some North American Bird Taxa. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. vol 92, no 1. pp. 195–203.
- Hendricks DP. (1977). Brown-Capped Rosy Finch Nesting in New-Mexico. Auk. vol 94, no 2. pp. 384–385.
- Hendricks P. (1978). Notes on the Courtship Behavior of Brown-Capped Rosy Finches. Wilson Bulletin. vol 90, no 2. pp. 285–287.
- Hendricks P. (1980). Reaction of Brown-Capped Rosy Finches Leucosticte-Australis to Banded Nestlings. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 51, no 2.
- Johnson RE. (1965). Reproductive activities of rosy finches, with special reference to Montana. Auk vol 82 pp. 190–205.
- Johnson RE. (1977). Seasonal Variation in the Genus Leucosticte in North America. Condor. vol 79, no 1. pp. 76–86.
- Marti CD & Braun CE. (1975). Use of Tundra Habitats by Prairie Falcons in Colorado USA. Condor. vol 77 pp. 213–214.
- Shreeve D. F. (1980). Behaviour of the Aleutian Grey-crowned and Brown-capped rosy finches Leucosticte tephrocotis. Ibis vol 122 pp. 145–165.