- Haemorhous cassinii
Carpodacus cassinii
Identification
16cm
Male
- Rose-pink head, breast, back and rump
- Streaked back and undertail
- Long pointed bill
- Notched tail
Female
- Light brown above
- Lighter, brown streaked below
- Pale eyering
- Faint white eyestripe
- Faint pale malar stripe
Similar Species
This finch is often confused with the House Finch and Purple Finch. Note the location of the red on the male, and the patterns of the feathers on the female.
Distribution
Southwest Canada, central Mexico and southern Baja California.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
It was formerly placed in genus Carpodacus.
Habitat
Desert watering-holes, semi-desert scrub with mixed sage and juniper. Chaparral, rolling hills with mixed oak and pine. Forests, hedgerows and backyards.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes seeds, buds and berries, and insects. Will vist garden feeders.
Breeding
It builds an open cup from twigs, rootlets, lined with fine rootlets, grass stems, hair, or feathers. The 4-5 light greenish-blue eggs have dark spots.
Vocalisation
Song: Long and warbling.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- All About Birds
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Cassin's Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cassin%27s_Finch
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
