Species of Greatest Conservation Need: Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

The brown-capped rosy-finch goes by a delicate name, but it is one tough little bird that lives year-round in Colorado’s high country. While biologists don’t have much information about the brown-capped rosy-finch, there is concern that the population might be declining. Colorado Parks and Wildlife researchers, along with other collaborators, have started a project to learn more about the species and are inviting the state’s bird watchers to help gather information.

In CPW’s State Wildlife Action Plan, the brown-capped rosy-finch is identified as one of the 55 tier 1 “Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)” in Colorado. Based on anecdotal evidence from the National Audubon Society’s Annual Christmas Bird Count, numbers of brown-capped rosy-finches are down, raising concern among scientists that climate change could be affecting the finch’s high-altitude habitat.

There are three species of rosy-finches ‒ brown-capped, gray-crowned and black. All reside at high altitudes, but each occupies a different breeding range and has a distinct plumage. CPW researchers are specifically studying the brown-capped rosy-finch, a bird almost solely endemic to Colorado.

“Anyone who has hiked above timberline or who lives in a mountain town has probably seen these birds,” said Amy Seglund, a Species Conservation Coordinator for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in Montrose. “But there is relatively little known about their life history. They nest on cliff faces, so it’s difficult to find and access their nests to determine how many eggs they typically lay, how their young survive and how far they travel throughout the year.”

In February, Seglund and fellow CPW Conservation Coordinator Liza Rossi teamed up with staffers from the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and Erika Zavaleta, Ph.D., from the University of California at Santa Cruz to begin the study. They are capturing all three Rosy-Finch species at feeders near Telluride, Evergreen and Gunnison. After capture, they examine the birds to determine sex, age and body condition. They also attach a small band to a leg of each of the birds.

Banding has been used by avian researchers for decades to track bird movements. A blue or black band is being placed on the birds captured near Telluride, green bands are being placed on birds captured in Evergreen, and red bands are being placed on the birds captured in the Gunnison area.

Here’s how Colorado bird watchers can help with the study:

• Report sightings with locations, species of Rosy-Finch, the number of birds and the band color to this email address: Rosyfinchreports@gmail.com.
• Be as specific as possible regarding the locations.
• Make a note of which leg the colored band is on if possible.
• The colored bands are easy to see with binoculars when birds are at feeders or close by in trees.

“It will be extremely helpful to the study if people report sightings of banded birds. We know these birds are nomadic, but we don’t know if their movements are localized or if they travel farther across the landscape,” Seglund explained. “Getting an idea about their movements is very important to the study. By reporting sightings, bird watchers will contribute significantly to our understanding of the Rosy-Finch.”

Written by Joe Lewandowski. Lewandowski is a public information officer for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife southwest region.