Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A small, compact songbird with a conical bill, relatively short tail, and rather long wings.

  Relative Size

  Larger than an American Goldfinch, smaller than a Mountain Bluebird.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.5-6.3 in (14-16 cm)
    • Weight: 0.8-1.2 oz (23-33 g)
    • Wingspan: 13.0 in (33 cm)

  © Joan Baker / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adult male in breeding plumage is mostly rich brown above, deep rosy below, with rosy edges to wings and rump, charcoal gray cap and tail, and dark bill and legs. Adult female similarly patterned but much less richly colored. Bill is black in breeding season and yellow in winter. Juvenile brownish overall with strikingly patterned wings that may show a hint of rosy edges.

• Behavior

  In summer, forages near the melting edges of snowfields. Walks or hops slowly to pick seeds, insects, or spiders off the ground (including snowfields, glaciers, frozen lakes), and sometimes pursues insects in flight. In winter, large flocks often move into inhabited areas, seeking food around buildings and roadways.
• Habitat

  Nests in cliffs and other rocky environments in alpine meadows of the Rocky Mountains. Winters in the same environments but often descends to lower elevations, including forested habitats, during bad weather.