Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte australisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Finches (Fringillidae)

Codes: Common Name: BCRF Scientific Name: LEUAUS ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179223

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Overview

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch: Medium finch, pink-red overall with black forehead, brown head, breast, back. Black bill in summer, yellow with black tip in winter. Forages on ground, eats seeds, sometimes insects. Swift bouncy flight, alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

Range and Habitat

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch: Resident in the Rocky Mountains from Wyoming to New Mexico; descends to lower elevations near breeding areas in winter. Lives in alpine tundra and meadows; winters in nearby lowlands.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"peyt-a-weet", "chew", "peent"

Interesting Facts

The population of the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch is declining according to the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Data seem to indicate a steady decline over the last 30 years with average annual total counts of over a thousand in the 1970's compared to about 500 in the 1990's.

No other North American species from the Mexican border up breeds at as high an elevation; they will stay in these areas even in chilling -35 C winters as long as snow depth does not obscure their food sources.

Rocky Mountain National Park is thought to support a breeding population of 1,000-2,000 Brown-capped Rosy-Finches.

A group of rosy-finches are collectively known as a "bouquet" of finches.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Irina Rud-Volga

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

● Song: "peyt-a-weet", "chew", "peent"

● Foraging & Feeding: Brown-capped Rosy-Finch: Eats mostly seeds, but takes some insects in summer; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Brown-capped Rosy-Finch: Three to five white eggs are laid in a nest made of moss, grass, weeds, and rootlets, lined with fur and feathers, and built on a cliff ridge, rock crevice, cave, or under a building eave. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Brown-capped Rosy-Finch: Gray crowned Rosy-Finch and Black Rosy-Finch have gray head patches.

Flight Pattern

Swift rather bouncy flight with rapid wing beats with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Brown-capped Rosy-Finch: Resident in the Rocky Mountains from Wyoming to New Mexico; descends to lower elevations near breeding areas in winter. Lives in alpine tundra and meadows; winters in nearby lowlands.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationFairly common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.9 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America