Cassin's Finch Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Cassin’s Finches are small songbirds with peaked heads and short-medium tails. Their heavy bills are fairly long and straight-sided, and their tails are obviously notched. Their wings are long and, when perched, the tips project farther down the tail than in other finches.

  Relative Size

  About the size of a House Finch but somewhat heftier; larger than a Pine Siskin.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 6.3 in (16 cm)
    • Weight: 0.8-1.2 oz (24-34 g)
    • Wingspan: 9.8-10.6 in (25-27 cm)

  © Milton Vine / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adult males are rosy pink overall with the most intense red on the crown. Female and immature Cassin’s Finches are brown-and-white birds with crisp, dark streaks on the chest and underparts. Both males and females have streaked undertail coverts and often show a thin, white eyering.

• Behavior

  Cassin’s Finches feed primarily on tree buds and seeds, and they mix with other montane finches such as crossbills and siskins. Listen for their rich, warbling song, which often includes parts of other birds’ songs, and their sweet, “tulip” call notes.
• Habitat

  Cassin’s Finches live in evergreen forests in the mountains up to about 10,000 feet elevation. In winter, they may move to lower elevations. They feed heavily upon seeds of pines and buds of quaking aspen.