WatchList Species Account
for Black Rosy-Finch |
the list as a Declining Yellow List Species
Breeding on cliffs above tree-line in the
high mountains of the northern Great Basin from northeastern
Nevada to southwestern Montana, the Black Rosy-Finch forages
for insects and seeds in snow banks and along their melting
borders. At most locations, this is the highest-nesting species.
In winter it is driven down to lower elevations, to high deserts
and valleys, where it forages on patches of bare ground and
at feeders, in large flocks. At night, they form communal
roosts in caves, mine shafts, and abandoned buildings. One
of the least-known North American birds, its actual nests
have only ever been reached by three researchers.
There is little information on population
trends, though there may have been a recent drop it its population.
The species sometimes outnumbers other rosy-finch species
in winter flocks and roosts in Wyoming and Utah. Its breeding
habitat is protected by its remoteness and inaccessibility;
this, however, makes monitoring changes in its population