Black Rosy-Finch

A Black Rosy-Finch is a fun bird to see while bird watching. Below are some tips to help you identify Black Rosy-Finches. We have also put together a list of fun Black Rosy-Finch t-shirts, Black Rosy-Finch bird patches, birdhouses, bird feeders, binoculars, stickers, and other fun bird watching items.

About Black Rosy-Finches

These uncommon birds stay in areas where birders rarely visit. They thrive in the high mountains from Nevada to Montana. To catch a glimpse of them, one needs to prepare for an uphill journey as they nest and thrive in cliffs in alpine areas where few visit. Some of their distinctive features include:

Description and Identification

If you want to spot one of these birds,  it is better that you dress warm and go up the hill towards
the pine trees and look as closely as possible at the treeline. They can also be seen around open
areas or around the area where the snow melts. However, when winter is upon them, they find it a
little difficult to stay in the heavily snowed regions and this is because they are relatively tiny birds.
 
Therefore, they come down in large flocks and look for feeders. In order to separate them from the
Brown-capped and Gray-crowned Rosy-finches,   one should simply look at the color of the entire
flock. A jet black body with a small gray cap sets them apart from the other birds. They have blackish
color overall with a gray crown which has pink highlights on their wings and on the lower belly. The
bill of the black rosy finch is yellow during the non-breeding season and black during the breeding
season.

Black Rosy-Finch Color Pattern

These medium finches have a black-brown breast while their underparts, wings, and rump are primarily pink but with a brown mixture. The breeding birds are entirely black while the non-breeding ones are brown but with pink highlights on their belly, wings and rump. Breeders have a black bill while non-breeding ones have a yellow one.

Black Rosy-Finch Size

Black rosy-finches are chunky and larger than a pine siskin. Their bill is conical and has a notched tail.

The relative size of both sexes

• Length range: 5.5-6.3 in (14-16 cm)
• Weight: 0.8-1.1 oz (22-32 g)
• Wingspan range: 13.0 in (33 cm)

Black Rosy-Finch Behavior

They forage on the ground by picking small insects ideally along roadsides. They migrate in flocks that can be seen overlapping each other as they search for prey on the ground.

Black Rosy-Finch Food

These birds eat small seeds and insects which are found on the open ground. They like to look for on
the ground, dead insects or other seeds during the storm or heavy winds. It’s very rare but they also
do catch insects mid-flight. The seeds that they choose to eat are of very specific plants like the
Beargrass, sea parsley, saxifrage, Russian thistle, Crowberry, water chickweed, and so on. Their food
habits again highly fluctuate with regard to season availability.

Black rosy-finches mostly feed on seeds and insects. During the breeding season, they feed heavily on insects such as caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles, and also on seeds. In winter, their main diet is seeds. This is because of the harsh conditions that force them downhill. They often forage at feeders, roadsides, or near barns.

Black Rosy-Finch Habitat

The Black Rosy-Finch occupies the mountain areas way above the tree line and through the alpine
rock and the giant cliffs. This is also why this bird is one of the least studied birds in North America.
These birds are usually seen in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands of Alaska. They are found next to
glaciers, rock piles, and other high elevated grounds. They prefer open environments with hillsides
that are rocky and meadows that are vast.

They thrive on rocky summits, tundra, and alpine snowfields. However, during winter they move further down to open country. Their breeding sites are on the barren tundra near persistent snowfields. Their nest site is usually in a well-protected cliff hole that is hard to access.

Range and Migration

The range of a species is the area in which this particular species is expected to be seen during a
specific week or time period in a season. These birds do not have a proper migration system except
when the snow accumulates usually during winter or fall. In such cases, they move down further and
look for insects to keep them alive and kicking. They have the habit of moving into human
settlements during storms in search of food and nesting.

Black Rosy-Finch Lifecycle

The females lay 4-5 eggs and incubate them for 12-14 days. The hatchlings are fed by both parents and leave the nest after 20 days. Feeding can continue for another week. They produce one brood per year.

Black Rosy-Finch Nesting

It chooses to nest in the tiny crevices and spaces in the cliffs where people are bound to go. This is a
place that is chosen by the female bird. Their nests are usually built out of moss, lichen, grass, sedges
and they are well-lined with the help of feathers or wool. These nests measure about 4.6 inches in
width, 3 inches in height, and a depth of almost 2 inches. Their eggs are white in color, unmarked
and they have some red and brown specks on the shell structure.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Black Rosy-Finches

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Black Rosy-Finchs are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Black Rosy-Finch T-shirts

If you love the Black Rosy-Finch you should purchase a Bird Watching Academy & Camp T-shirt. To help support bird conservation we donate 10 percent to bird conservation activities.

Black Rosy-Finch Iron On Patches

Kids, Youth, and Adults love to collect our Bird Watching Academy & Camp iron-on patches. Our bird-watching patches help you keep track of the birds you have seen and identified. You can also display the patches on our Bird Watching Academy & Camp banners.

The Black Rosy-Finch is a great iron-on patch to start your collection with. The patches are durable and can be sewn on or ironed on to just about anything.

Black Rosy-Finch Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Black Rosy-Finch. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders for Black Rosy-Finches

There are many types of bird feeders. Here are our favorite bird feeders for your backyard. We use all of these bird feeders currently. Kids will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. Using this collection of bird feeders will provide a wide variety and many types of birds.

Best Bird Houses for Black Rosy-Finches

There are many types of birdhouses. Building a birdhouse is always fun but can be frustrating. These 4 birdhouses have become our favorites. Getting a birdhouse for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. We spent a little extra money on these birdhouses but they have been worth the higher price and look great.