Cassin's Finch

The Cassin's Finch, Carpodacus cassinii, is a medium-sized finch.

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.

Their breeding habitat is coniferous forest in mountains of western North America. They nest in a large conifer.

Birds from Canada migrate south; other birds are permanent residents. They move to lower elevations in winter.

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.

This bird was named after John Cassin, who was a curator at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.