I have posted photos of a juvenile rosy-finch in the
ID section of the Rosy-Finch Forum. This is a Permalink to the inquiry by Joe Yuhas. It was observed at the West Summit in Shoshone National Forest at about 10,900 ft. This is just off Rt 212 (Beartooth Highway) just after crossing into Wyoming when coming from Red Lodge, Montana.
Although I am not an expert, I tend to agree with Joe's conclusion that it is a Black Rosy-Finch. There is too much pink for a Gray-crowned, and the feather bases do appear to be black rather than dark brown.
This bird seems younger than many I have seen at Sandia Crest. One year, before the banding project got underway, we had many like this early in the season and Ryan and I argued about whether they were Brown-capped or Black. We ended up calling them "Rosy-Finch sp." or "buffies." Since then, the banding team has been quite flawless in identifying the species of these younger birds, as verified by recaptures.
I invite other readers of the FORUM to express their opinions about the ID of this bird, in the
Species Age and Sex Identification Sub-Forum.
Thanks!
Ken
Locked
