Cassin's Finch
Haemorhous cassinii
Males have red concentrated on crown (brighter than throat) with pinkish wash coming into breast; flanks are pale with only a few fine streaks. Females are similar to Purple Finch but with more diffuse face pattern and finer streaks on flanks. Both sexes tend to show more peaked head and longer bill than House and Purple Finch. Found in mountainous regions, mainly in coniferous forests, drifting to lower elevations in winter. Visits feeders.
Identification
Measurements:<p>Adults have a short forked brown tail and brown wings. They have a longer bill than the purple finch. Adult males are raspberry red on the head, breast, back and rump; their back and undertail are streaked. Adult females have light brown upperparts and light underparts with brown streaks throughout; their facial markings are less distinct than those of the female purple finch.<p>Their breeding habitat is coniferous forest in mountains of western North America as far south as northern New Mexico and Arizona; also Southern California near Baja California. They nest in large conifers. They move to lower elevations in winter.<p>Northernmost breeding birds migrate south, as do some birds throughout the range of the species; many birds are permanent residents, however. Some non-breeding birds winter as far south as central interior Mexico.<p>These birds forage in trees, sometimes in ground vegetation. They mainly eat seeds, buds and berries, some insects. When not nesting, they often feed in small flocks.<p>This bird was named after John Cassin, who was a curator at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Haemorhous cassinii
- Authority
- (Baird, SF, 1854)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Haemorhous
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Ash-throated Antwren
Herpsilochmus parkeri
Rare antwren restricted to a small area of the eastern Andes in northern Peru. Note the black cap, striped face, white wingbars, and lack of rufous in the wing. Female has a buffy tinge on her face and throat. While several other antwrens in Peru share similar plumage features, none of them occur in the limited range of this species. Inhabits the canopy of stunted cloud forest, especially on ridgetops. Song starts with a few rising notes and ends with a descending trill.
Black-and-yellow Tanager
Chrysothlypis chrysomelas
Small warblerlike tanager with striking color pattern: male brilliant golden-yellow with black back, wings, and tail. Female much duller and more olive-green with dirty whitish belly. Note bill shape: relatively long, slender, and pointed. A canopy bird, pairs or small groups are most often seen following mixed flocks in forests and edges.
Mascarene Paradise-Flycatcher
Terpsiphone bourbonnensis
A pretty and distinctive bird that always lacks the long tail streamers possessed by some paradise-flycatchers. Note the rufous back and tail and the gray underparts. Males and females differ slightly: males have a black cap and a blue eye-ring, whereas females have a dark-gray cap without a distinctive eye-ring. Fairly common on Reunion in all types of humid forest. Rare on Mauritius in remnant rainforest patches. Calls include a tearing “sree-sreeet” and an agitated twittering. The song is a long musical series of “twee” notes.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.