Cassin's finch is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are placed in the genus Haemorhous.
Region
Western North America
Typical Environment
Breeds in montane coniferous forests from southern British Columbia and Alberta through the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin ranges to the Sierra Nevada and south to the mountains of the Southwest. Prefers open pine, fir, and mixed conifer woodlands, forest edges, and high-elevation parklands. In winter it often moves to lower elevations, foothills, canyons, and towns, frequently visiting backyard feeders. Irruptive movements occur in some years when cone crops fail. It also occurs locally into northern Mexico in suitable highland conifers.
Altitude Range
800–3500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Cassin's Finch is a mountain-dwelling rosefinch of western North America, often confused with House and Purple Finches. Males show a raspberry-red crown and breast with a slightly peaked look, while females are crisply streaked with a bold pale eyebrow. They favor conifer seeds and buds and can irrupt downslope or southward in winter. Their rich, rolling warble is a hallmark of high-elevation pine and fir forests.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with bounding flight
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it forms small to medium flocks that wander in search of cone crops and other foods. Pairs form in late winter to spring; nests are placed on horizontal branches of conifers, often well out from the trunk. The cup nest is built mostly by the female; both parents feed the young.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A rich, rolling warble with sweet, tumbling phrases delivered from treetops or during short song flights. Calls include a sharp, metallic kip and a soft weet used in flocks. The song can resemble a House Finch but is more fluid and less buzzy.
Plumage
Male shows raspberry-red crown and breast blending into a streaked brown back and flanks; overall clean, with a slightly peaked crown. Female is brown and heavily streaked with a crisp pale supercilium and a relatively clean belly. Both sexes have white to lightly marked undertail coverts and fine streaking on the flanks.
Diet
Feeds heavily on seeds and buds of conifers such as pine, fir, and spruce, as well as seeds of shrubs and weeds. In season it takes fruits and berries, including cherries and elderberries, and nips tree buds and flowers. During breeding it supplements with small insects like beetles and caterpillars to feed nestlings.
Preferred Environment
Forages high in conifer canopies and at forest edges, also in open woodlands and mountain parks. In winter it readily visits feeders for sunflower seeds and forages on the ground or in shrubs in foothills and towns.
