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Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte tephrocotisOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Finches (Fringillidae)

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Portrait
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General

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: Medium-sized finch with brown body and pink on shoulders, flanks, and belly. Forehead is dark brown and bill is yellow with dark tip. Back of head and belly have gray patches. Female is duller. Coastal birds may have gray faces.

Range and Habitat

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: Breeds from Alaska to California and descends to lower elevations near breeding areas in the winter. Prefers alpine tundra and high snowfields; winters in nearby lowlands.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"cheep-cheep-cheep"

Interesting Facts

  • Perhaps because of its remote breeding sites, the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch seems almost fearless. On its breeding grounds, foraging birds can be approached to within 3-6 feet.
  • At one time, this bird, the Black Rosy Finch and the Brown-capped Rosy Finch were considered to be the same species: the Asian Rosy Finch.
  • A group of rosy-finches are collectively known as a "bouquet" of finches.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
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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.
Family
Species Leucosticte tephrocotis
Length5.75 - 6 Inches
Wingspan9.25 Inches

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: Medium finch with brown body and pink on shoulders, flanks, and belly. Forehead is dark brown. The black bill turns yellow with a dark tip in the winter. Back of head and belly have gray patches. Forages in bushes, trees and on ground for seeds and insects. Bounding flight.

● Song: "cheep-cheep-cheep"

● Foraging & Feeding: Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: Eats seeds, vegetation, and insects; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: Four to five white eggs, sometimes with red brown spots, are laid in a bulky nest built in a rock cavity. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: Black Rosy-Finch lacks brown back and breast. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch lacks gray on the head.

Flight Pattern

Bounding flight with several rapid wing beats.
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: Breeds from Alaska to California and descends to lower elevations near breeding areas in the winter. Prefers alpine tundra and high snowfields; winters in nearby lowlands.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationWidespread
MigrationSome migrate
Weight0.8 - 0.9 Ounces