Cassin's Finch 



Dale ^ Marian Zimmerman 



Black Rosy Finch \^ a..3^B^^^^ Harold R Holt 



BLACK ROSY FINCH (Leucosticte atrata) 



Uniquely adapted to the alpine environment, the black rosy finch is the 

 most characteristic bird of the alpine regions of both Yellowstone and 

 Grand Teton. Its unique adaptations include long, pointed wings for coping 

 with the strong winds at these high elevations and a pair of pockets in the 

 floor of the mouth, which develop during the breeding season and ap- 

 parently allow the species to carry larger quantities of food on each 

 trip back to the nest. Black rosy finches glean seeds and insects from 

 snowfields above timberline. Rosy finches are dark sparrow-sized birds 

 with a pinkish wash on their wings and rump and a light gray patch on the 

 back of the head. The nest is a carefully concealed grass cup placed in a 

 rock crevice. 



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