Bird Guide

Grey-crowned Rosy Finch vs Plain Mountain Finch

Grey-crowned Rosy Finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis)

Grey-crowned Rosy Finch

Leucosticte tephrocotis

Small38 gGrassland

Within the finch family, the gray-crowned rosy finch is medium-large with a comparatively long notched tail and wing. Adults are brown on the back and breast and mainly pink on the rest of the underparts and the wings. The forehead and throat are black; the back of the head is grey. They have short black legs and a long forked tail. There is some variability in the amount of grey on the head. Adult females and juveniles are similar. Overall length is 140 to 160 mm (5.5–6.3 in), wingspan 33 cm (13 in), and weight 22 to 60 g (0.78–2.12 oz). L. t. wallowa has an almost entirely gray head.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Nigel Voaden, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Plain Mountain Finch (Leucosticte nemoricola)

Plain Mountain Finch

Leucosticte nemoricola

Small23 gGrassland

The Plain Mountain Finch is 14–15 centimetres (5.5–5.9 in) long, weighs 18–25 grams (0.63–0.88 oz), and has a slender build with long wings, a notched tail, and a short pointed bill. It features a buff brown head with tawny streaks, a beige neck, and pale brown around the eye and cheek. Its Mantle and back is dark brown with pale streaks, while its lower back is pale gray. The tail and wings are dark brown with buff-brown and white markings. Both males and females look alike, while juveniles are paler with less distinct markings.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · cc-by

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Grey-crowned Rosy Finch and Plain Mountain Finch.