- 5.5–6.3 in
- 13 in
- 0.8–1.1 oz
- Rosy Finch (in part)
- Roselin noir (French)
- The breeding biology of the Black Rosy-Finch is unusual in that a male primarily defends a floating territory around his mate, rather than a fixed piece of real estate. As a result, males constantly chase other males that approach their mates too closely, and females are most readily located by looking near the center of all the fighting.
- Wintering flocks of Black Rosy-Finches roost in large communal roosts in caves, mine shafts, on rafters of barns, and in clusters of old Cliff Swallow nests.
- Black Rosy-Finches are among the least studied of North American birds because of the inaccessibility of their alpine habitat generally and their nest sites on cliffs in particular. Reflecting this, actual nests had been reached by only three researchers as of 2002.
- The oldest recorded Black Rosy-Finch was a male, over 8 years, 7 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Wyoming.
Breeds in alpine areas, usually near rock piles, and cliffs. Winters in open country, including mountain meadows, high deserts, valleys, and plains.
Seeds and insects.
- Clutch Size
- 3–6 eggs
- Egg Description
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with sparse down.
Cup of grass and stems, lined with fine grass, hair, and occasionally feathers. Placed in crack or hole in cliff, on small cliff ledge under overhanging rocks, or under rocks in talus slides.
Picks up insects and seeds from surface of snow, mud, and tundra.
Though there are no apparent population trends, this species may be declining, and is on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List, which lists bird species that are at risk of becoming threatened or endangered without conservation action. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 20,000, with 100% living in the U.S. They rate a 16 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score and are both a Tri-National Concern species and a U.S.-Canada Stewardship species.