ML139203971

Age and sex

Adult Male - X

Observation details

During the three-and-a-half-hours we spent at the pullout along US 89 where the rosy-finches had been seen, we saw the continuing male Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch only twice and both times relatively briefly, initially at 2:30-2:33 pm and again at 3:20-3:25 pm. In both instances, the Gray-crowned was seen with flocks of Black Rosy-Finches (L. atrata) of various sizes, the first time totaling about 40 birds and the second only eight birds, both as it perched atop a rock and as it foraged on the rocky slope immediately west of the pullout at distances ranging 15-40 meters. The light was good, with the afternoon sun somewhat to the side of us, and the bird was at times in unobstructed view, but at others hidden entirely or in part by rocks or a ridge in the slope. My views of this bird were relatively brief, and therefore sufficient to write only a relatively superficial description, albeit one that is more than sufficient to identify the bird with complete confidence. This was a relatively small, plump bird that was similar in both size and shape to the Black Rosy-Finches with which it was associated, or conversely, it appeared a little larger, heavier-bodied, longer-winged, and shorter-tailed than a House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus). The conical bill tapered from a deep base to a pointed tip along a relatively straight culmen, but I did not determine its length relative to the depth at the base. The forehead was weakly sloping and the crown was gently rounded on a head that seemed to be relatively large, the neck was notably short and stout, and the body was quite plump and with a posture that was maybe halfway between horizontal and diagonal when the bird perched atop a rock. The wings were conspicuously long with narrowly tapered wingtips that reached partway out the medium-length tail, but I was unable to discern either the primary projection or the shape of the tail, and I have no clear recollection of the legs or feet. This was a boldly marked and relatively colorful bird with plumage patterns that were generally similar to those of the male Black Rosy-Finches, albeit with the overall coloration somewhat different. The forehead and crown formed a black cap that extended back to a rounded junction of the crown with the nape. The black cap was sharply demarcated below by a wedge of light gray that extended back from the eye as a broad wedge across through the superciliary region and around the nape and back of the upper neck. The lores, the lower part of the face, and the throat were all dark. Whereas the underparts and upperparts of the Black Rosy-Finches were either black on the males or sooty-gray on the females, the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch was chestnut-brown across the back, breast, and sides. I suspect the auriculars were similarly brown, but I could not be certain about their precise coloration. I also thought this bird lacked the paler fringes that were conspicuous on the back, scapulars, and even the underparts of the Black Rosy-Finches, but I again cannot be certain about this. Like the male Black Rosy-Finches, this bird had boldly marked wings that appeared to combine some pink near the shoulder, a broader panel of whitish across the greater coverts, whitish to white fringes to the secondaries, and narrow edges of pink on the primaries. My impression was that the breast and sides, and maybe even the upper belly and foreflanks, were chestnut-brown and seemingly lacking the pale fringes that were evident on even the male Black Rosy-Finches. I further noted some bright pink coloration along this bird’s flanks, but I was less sure about the color on the center of the belly. Like the other birds, this bird’s bill was at least mostly yellow, but I was less sure if it had a darker tip as did those of at least most of the other birds in the flock. This bird had dark eyes, but I was uncertain about their precise color, or that of the legs and feet.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

320

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

1394 pixels x 927 pixels

Original file size

1.61 MB