Finches (Fringillidae)

Brown-capped Rosy-finch (Leucosticte australis) - HBW 15, p. 574

French: Roselin à tête brune German: Coloradoschneegimpel Spanish: Pinzón Montano Coronipardo

Taxonomy: Leucosticte tephrocotis var. australis Ridgway, 1874, Mount Lincoln, Colorado, USA.
Has been thought possibly to form a superspecies with L. arctoa, L. tephrocotis and L. atrata, and all are often treated as conspecific; recent analysis of mitochondrial DNA indicates close genetic similarity among all four. Hybridizes with L. atrata in areas of overlap. Monotypic.

Distribution: W USA (Rocky Mts from S Wyoming S to N New Mexico).