Black Rosy Finch
Encyclopedia
The Black Rosy Finch, or Black Rosy-finch, (Leucosticte atrata) is a species of passerine
bird
in the family Fringillidae native to the western United States
.
with the three other Rosy-Finches
: Gray-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. Recent mitochondrial DNA evidence shows the rosy finches are all indeed very closely related and can be easily confused with one another. Along with four Asian rosy finches, the three North American rosy finches form the mountain finch
genus Leucosticte. There are no recognized subspecies of the Black Rosy Finch. Alternate common names include: Roselin (in French), Rußschneegimpel (in German), and Pinzón Montano Negro (in Spanish).
short distances to lower elevations and further south and return to the alpine areas in April. These birds forage on the ground, may fly to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat seeds from weeds and grasses and insects, often in areas where snow is melting, uncovering food items and new plant shoots are growing. They often feed in small flocks, sometimes mixing with Gray-crowned Rosy Finch
es. A male will defend its female's territory during breeding season, not just the nest but where ever she goes. This behavior is common with the rosy finches. When breeding both males and females develop throat pouches, known as gular pouches or gular skin
, to carry food to their chicks, a trait seen in only one other North American genus, Pinicola
. Due to their inaccessibility, actual Black Rosy Finch nests had been reached by only three researchers as of 2002. The nests are made of grass and stems and lined with fine grass, hair, and feathers. They are known to use protected areas such as openings in cliffs, mine shafts, caves, and rafters. They eat seeds and insects, usually foraged from the ground, including snowfields. Their call is a buzz-sounding "chew".
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the family Fringillidae native to the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Taxonomy
The Black Rosy Finch was first classified by American ornithologist Robert Ridgway in 1874. This bird has been thought to form a superspeciesSuperspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
with the three other Rosy-Finches
Mountain finch
The mountain finches are birds in the genus Leucosticte from the true finch family, Fringillidae. This genus also includes the rosy finches, named from their pinkish plumage...
: Gray-crowned Rosy Finch
Gray-crowned Rosy Finch
The Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, or Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, is a species of passerine bird in the family Fringillidae native to Alaska, western Canada, and the north-western United States. Due to its remote and rocky alpine habitat it is rarely seen. There are currently six recognized subspecies...
(L. tephrocotis) and the Brown-capped Rosy Finch
Brown-capped Rosy Finch
The Brown-capped Rosy Finch , Leucosticte australis, is a medium-sized finch.Adults are brown on the head, back, and breast with pink on the belly, rump, and wings. The forehead is black. They have short black legs and a long forked tail.Their breeding habitat is mountain peaks in the central Rocky...
(L. australis), all of which were classified as the same species as the Asian Rosy Finch
Asian Rosy Finch
The Asian Rosy-Finch is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It is found in China, Japan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, and Russia.Its natural habitats are tundra and temperate grassland.-References:...
(L. arctoa) from 1983-1993. Recent mitochondrial DNA evidence shows the rosy finches are all indeed very closely related and can be easily confused with one another. Along with four Asian rosy finches, the three North American rosy finches form the mountain finch
Mountain finch
The mountain finches are birds in the genus Leucosticte from the true finch family, Fringillidae. This genus also includes the rosy finches, named from their pinkish plumage...
genus Leucosticte. There are no recognized subspecies of the Black Rosy Finch. Alternate common names include: Roselin (in French), Rußschneegimpel (in German), and Pinzón Montano Negro (in Spanish).
Description
Adults are black on the head, back and breast with pink on the belly, rump and wings. There is a patch of grey at the back of the head. They have short black legs and a long forked tail. The Gray-crowned Rosy Finch has a brown body instead of black and the Brown-capped Rosy Finch and lacks the gray patch on the back of the head.Distribution and habitat
The Black Rosy Finch's breeding habitat is mountain areas above the tree-line, amongst alpine rocks and cliffs. Because of this it is one of the least studied birds in North America. Its distribution range is between that of the Gray-crowned Rosy Finch (L. tephrocotis), which is located to north and west, and the Brown-capped Rosy Finch (L. australis), which is located to the south and east.Behavior
The Black Rosy Finch builds a cup nest in a cavity on a cliff. Most birds migrateBird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
short distances to lower elevations and further south and return to the alpine areas in April. These birds forage on the ground, may fly to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat seeds from weeds and grasses and insects, often in areas where snow is melting, uncovering food items and new plant shoots are growing. They often feed in small flocks, sometimes mixing with Gray-crowned Rosy Finch
Gray-crowned Rosy Finch
The Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, or Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, is a species of passerine bird in the family Fringillidae native to Alaska, western Canada, and the north-western United States. Due to its remote and rocky alpine habitat it is rarely seen. There are currently six recognized subspecies...
es. A male will defend its female's territory during breeding season, not just the nest but where ever she goes. This behavior is common with the rosy finches. When breeding both males and females develop throat pouches, known as gular pouches or gular skin
Gular skin
Gular skin , in ornithology, is an area of featherless skin on birds that joins the lower mandible of the beak to the bird's neck....
, to carry food to their chicks, a trait seen in only one other North American genus, Pinicola
Pinicola
Pinicola is a possibly monotypic genus of "grosbeaks" of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is closely related to the true bullfinches and the Holarctic mountain finches .This genus contains at most two species:...
. Due to their inaccessibility, actual Black Rosy Finch nests had been reached by only three researchers as of 2002. The nests are made of grass and stems and lined with fine grass, hair, and feathers. They are known to use protected areas such as openings in cliffs, mine shafts, caves, and rafters. They eat seeds and insects, usually foraged from the ground, including snowfields. Their call is a buzz-sounding "chew".
Book
- Johnson, R. E. 2002. Black Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte atrata). In The Birds of North America, No. 678 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
Articles
- Behle WH. (1973). Further Notes on Rosy Finches Wintering in Utah. Wilson Bulletin. vol 85, no 3. pp. 344–346.
- Bjorklund CF. (1991). Black Rosy Finch Sighting on Big Muddy Cbc. Blue Jay. vol 49, no 3.
- Bull EL & Wales BC. (2001). Effects of disturbance on birds of conservation concern in eastern Oregon and Washington. Northwest Sci. vol 75, pp. 166–173.
- Hendricks P. (1978). Notes on the Courtship Behavior of Brown-Capped Rosy Finches. Wilson Bulletin. vol 90, no 2. pp. 285–287.
- Johnson RE. (1975). New Breeding Localities for Leucosticte in the Contiguous Western USA. Auk. vol 92, no 3. pp. 586–589.
- Johnson RE. (1977). Seasonal Variation in the Genus Leucosticte in North America. Condor. vol 79, no 1. pp. 76–86.