Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte australisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Finches (Fringillidae)

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

Breeding Location:

Rocky cliffs

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Fairly common

Egg Color:

White

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

12 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Moss, grass, weeds and rootlets., Lined with fur, hair and feathers.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch: Medium-sized finch, pink-red overall with black forehead and brown head, breast, and back. Bill is black in summer and yellow with black tip in winter. Female and juvenile lack pink on shoulders and rumps.

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.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and Feeding

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

Readily Eats

Peanuts, Suet, Millet, Fruit, Sunflower Seeds (hulled)

Vocalization

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch: Song is a twittering canary-like song, given in courtship flight by male.

Similar Species

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

Percevia^® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Percevia field guides, database and search protocol patent pending.

The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds!

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

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.

● 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

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