This bird has been thought to form a superspecies with the three other rosy finches: grey-crowned rosy finch (L. tephrocotis) and the brown-capped rosy finch (L. australis), all of which were classified as the same species as the Asian rosy finch (L. arctoa) from 1983-1993. In winter; spread to lower country, plains, towns, at feeders. Breeds at very high elevations; descends to slightly lower elevations in winter. Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized. Below are some tips to help you identify Brown-capped Rosy-Finches. In the winter months, it will migrate into the central New Mexico mountains. Look for them feeding on catkins in birch trees or visiting feeders in winter. More ID Info. High mountains above treeline, rocky terrain, snowfields. The Brown-capped Rosy-Finch is the rarest rosy-finch found in North America. Brown-capped Rosy Finch (Leucosticte australis) bird sounds free on dibird.com. Message (optional) Share Checklist Cancel. Some are even fun to be around. This rose-finch has also the smallest breeding area and the smallest range. Taxonomy. This bird is nearly identical in size and shape to the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. © Joan Baker | Macaulay Library Colorado, April 06, 2017 Body is milk-chocolate brown. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches nest in the highest parts of the highest mountains in North America—the Brooks Range, the Rockies, the Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada—as well as on Alaska’s Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. Sartor (Sandy) Williams is Editor of New Mexico Ornithological Society Field Notes and Chair of the New Mexico Bird Records Committee. Medium-sized finch. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. Brown on the head, back, and breast with pink on … Breeding birds are brown overall with variable amounts of pink highlights on the lower belly and wings. Like the other rosy-finches, the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch is a bird of the high mountains, breeding above timberline. It has the smallest range of the three American species, being found primarily in Colorado. 16 cm (6") Fairly common. Avibase is an extensive database information system about all birds of the world, containing over &1 million records about 10,000 species and 22,000 subspecies of birds, including distribution information for 20,000 regions, taxonomy, synonyms in several languages and more. Error! A Brown-capped Rosy-Finch is a fun bird to see while bird watching. This delicate pink-and-brown songbird is among the hardiest of all birds. Goldfinches often flock with Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls. Sandia Peak - New Mexico Adults are brown on the head, … Brown-capped Rosy-Finches nest at higher elevations than any other bird species in the United States, and their breeding distribution is almost entirely limited to Colorado.