Gray-crowned Rosy Finch

Photo by Old Fulica
Location: Vancouver BC, Canada

Leucosticte tephrocotis

Identification

Length 6.25" (16cm.) Wingspan 13" (33cm.). Slender medium-sized bird with long wings and tail adapted for flight at altitude. Plain brown underparts, gray head with black throat and forehead; rosy-pink accents on shoulders and belly, triangular yellow bill. Females are slightly drabber. There are considerable variations in regional subspecies.

Similar Species

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, Black Rosy-Finch. These are considered conspecific by some authorities. Range differences can help in identification; all have variation in plumage that can make separation tricky.

Distribution

Aleutian Islands to western Canada and northwest U.S. and eastern California. Winters east to western South Dakota and Nebraska. Accidental vagrant to eastern and midwestern United States.

Taxonomy

Seven subspecies are recognized.^[1]

Habitat

Open ground in tundra areas; in winter open ground in mountainous regions to the south. Some populations are year-round in the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains of the western USA.

Behaviour

Hop on ground, foraging on tundra, or on high rocky terrain often near on on melting snow patches where insects can be found.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Gray-crowned Rosy Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Gray-crowned_Rosy_Finch

External Links

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