Birdsong field guide
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
Leucosticte tephrocotis
A resilient high-altitude specialist, the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch is a medium-sized finch recognized by its chocolate-brown body, pink-washed wings, and distinctive gray crown.
What it sounds like
A husky, low-pitched 'chew' or 'jeet' call; the song is a series of weak, twittering notes often delivered in flight.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
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Field notes
- It is the highest-altitude breeding bird in North America, often nesting in rock crevices above the treeline.
- Adults possess a specialized gular (throat) pouch used to transport large quantities of food to their nestlings over long distances.
- They frequently forage on alpine snowfields, gleaning 'aeolian drift'—insects and seeds blown up from lower elevations and trapped in the snow.
- The species exhibits significant clinical variation, with six subspecies ranging from the dark 'Aleutian' form to the 'Hepburn's' form with entirely gray cheeks.
- To survive freezing nocturnal temperatures, they are known to roost inside deep rock fissures or abandoned mineshafts to conserve heat.
Habitat
Alpine tundra, talus slopes, and snowfields during breeding; open country and brushy areas at lower elevations during winter.
Range
Western North America, spanning from the Aleutian Islands and Alaska south through the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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