Brown-capped rosy finch
The brown-capped rosy finch is a medium-sized finch endemic to North America in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.
Adults are brown on the head, back, and breast. The belly and rump are pink, with additional pink shading on the wings and tail. The pink is pronounced on the male but more subdued on the female. The forehead is black or grayish brown. The bill is yellow in winter and black in summer. 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. 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. After breeding, the female takes three days to finish the nest.
These birds can be found in alpine snowfields and also at feeders, especially in the winter. They forage on the ground, but may fly to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat seeds from weeds and grasses and insects. They often feed in small flocks with other rosy finches.
At one time, the three North American rosy finches were considered to be one species.
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.
Book
- Johnson, R. E., P. Hendricks, D. L. Pattie, and K. B. Hunter. 2000. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch . In The Birds of North America, No. 536. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
Articles
- Banks RC & Browning MR.. Correct Citations for Some North American Bird Taxa. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. vol 92, no 1. pp. 195–203.
- Hendricks DP.. Brown-Capped Rosy Finch Nesting in New-Mexico. Auk. vol 94, no 2. pp. 384–385.
- Hendricks P.. Notes on the Courtship Behavior of Brown-Capped Rosy Finches. Wilson Bulletin. vol 90, no 2. pp. 285–287.
- Hendricks P.. Reaction of Brown-Capped Rosy Finches Leucosticte-Australis to Banded Nestlings. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 51, no 2.
- Johnson RE.. Reproductive activities of rosy finches, with special reference to Montana. Auk vol 82 pp. 190–205.
- Johnson RE.. Seasonal Variation in the Genus Leucosticte in North America. Condor. vol 79, no 1. pp. 76–86.
- Marti CD & Braun CE.. Use of Tundra Habitats by Prairie Falcons in Colorado USA. Condor. vol 77 pp. 213–214.
- Shreeve D. F. . Behaviour of the Aleutian Grey-crowned and Brown-capped rosy finches Leucosticte tephrocotis. Ibis vol 122 pp. 145–165.