The Brown-capped Rosy Finch (or Brown-capped Rosy-finch), Leucosticte australis, is a medium-sized finch

Finch

The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...

.

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 Mountains

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

 of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. They build a cup nest in a cavity on a cliff, or re-use abandoned Cliff Swallow

Cliff Swallow

The Cliff Swallow is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae — the swallows and martins.It breeds in North America, and is migratory, wintering in western South America from Venezuela southwards to northeast Argentina...

 nests.

In winter, these birds migrate

Bird 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.

These birds forage on the ground, but may fly to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat seeds from weeds and grasses and insects. They often feed in small flocks.

At one time, the three North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

n 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...

were considered to be one species.

The population of this bird appears to be declining.

Book

• Johnson, R. E., P. Hendricks, D. L. Pattie, and K. B. Hunter. 2000. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte australis). In The Birds of North America, No. 536 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Articles

• Banks RC & Browning MR. (1980). Correct Citations for Some North American Bird Taxa. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. vol 92, no 1. pp. 195–203.

• Hendricks DP. (1977). Brown-Capped Rosy Finch Nesting in New-Mexico. Auk. vol 94, no 2. pp. 384–385.

• Hendricks P. (1978). Notes on the Courtship Behavior of Brown-Capped Rosy Finches. Wilson Bulletin. vol 90, no 2. pp. 285–287.

• Hendricks P. (1980). Reaction of Brown-Capped Rosy Finches Leucosticte-Australis to Banded Nestlings. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 51, no 2.

• Johnson RE. (1965). Reproductive activities of rosy finches, with special reference to Montana. Auk vol 82 pp. 190–205.

• Johnson RE. (1977). Seasonal Variation in the Genus Leucosticte in North America. Condor. vol 79, no 1. pp. 76–86.

• Marti CD & Braun CE. (1975). Use of Tundra Habitats by Prairie Falcons in Colorado USA. Condor. vol 77 pp. 213–214.

• Shreeve D. F. (1980). Behaviour of the Aleutian Grey-crowned and Brown-capped rosy finches Leucosticte tephrocotis. Ibis vol 122 pp. 145–165.