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Articles

Vol. 41 No. 2 (2010)

FEATURED PHOTO - DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE WINTER PLUMAGES OF THE BLACK AND GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES IN NEW MEXICO

Submitted
November 25, 2025
Published
April 1, 2010

Abstract

Many observers find the identification of rosy-finches (Leucosticte spp.) difficult, in part because the birds’ high-elevation and remote breeding habitats provide few opportunities for comparison of the three North American species. In winter, distinguishing the rosy-finches in mixed flocks can be a further challenge because the birds’ seemingly restless nature often permits only brief views of individuals. Here we address differences between the wide-ranging interior form of the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (L. tephrocotis tephrocotis) and the Black Rosy-Finch (L. atrata), which can be difficult to distinguish because both typically have broad silver-gray superciliary stripes and hind crowns. The Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (L. australis) and the Gray-crowned can also be confused when the former shows some silver-gray above and behind the eyes, but that is a subject for another paper.

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