WALLOWA GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH Leucosticte tephrocotis wallowa (Miller) 



Order: PASSERIFORMES Family: FRINGILLIDAE 



Distinguishing characteristics : Small brown sparrow-like bird with rosy wings and 

 rump and gray head patch. Distinguished from neighboring subspecies of gray-crowned 

 rosy finches of the Cascades and Blue Mountains by having cinnamon brown of lower 

 surface duller and more sooty, and darker, less tawny upper parts, with dark streaks 

 of back darker and broader . Much browner and less blackish than the black rosy finch 

 (L . atrata) of the nearby Seven Devils Mountains to the east . 



Present distribution : Confined in breeding season to open , alpine habitats in the 

 Wallowa Mountains, Oregon. Presumably winters at lower elevations but exact area 

 unknown . 



Former distribution : Same as present. 



Status: Vulnerable because it is uncommon within its breeding range which is confined 

 to a very limited area of alpine habitats in one isolated mountain range . Habitat 

 requirements are rocky terrain with permanent snow fields , cliffs , and small meadows . 

 Compared with other rosy finches, it does not seem to be as abundant as it should be 

 in seemingly suitable habitat. 



Estimated numbers : No estimate. 



Breeding rate in the wild : Probably 3 to 5 eggs like other subspecies of gray-crowned 

 rosy finch . 



Reasons for decline: Not known to be declining . 



Protective measures already taken : Protected by Federal and State laws . Entire 

 breeding range falls within that part of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest which is 

 protected under the Wilderness Act as the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area. Information on 

 this bird provided by the U.S. Forest Service to wilderness area users on Eagle Cap 

 Wilderness Area map . 



Measures proposed : Preserve the natural environment. Surveillance of the area by 

 periodic observations to learn more about this subspecies' life history, status and 

 distribution . 



Number in captivity : None known . 



Breeding potential in captivity : Unknown . 



References : 



Bent, A. C. 1968. Life histories of North American cardinals, grosbeaks, buntings, 

 towhees, finches, sparrows, and allies. Part 1. (Compiled and edited by 

 Oliver L. Austin, Jr.). Smithsonian Inst . Press. Wash., D. C. 602 pp. 



Johnson, R. E. (in lit . ) 



Marshall, D. B. Administrative reports. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. 



Miller, A. H. 1939. The breeding leucostictes of the Wallowa Mountains, Oregon. 

 Condor 41:34-35. 



193 



