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The mountain finches are birds in the genus Leucosticte from the true finch family, Fringillidae. This genus also includes the rosy finches, named from their pinkish plumage. They are apparently closely related to the bullfinches (Marten & Johnson, 1986) and to the Pine Grosbeak (Arnaiz-Villena et al., 2001), diverging from them almost twelve million years ago, at the end of the Middle Miocene.
These birds are native to Asia and North America and are typically found in barren mountainous regions. Many species eat more insect material than other finches.
The full list of species is:
- Plain Mountain Finch, Leucosticte nemoricola
- Black-headed Mountain Finch, Leucosticte brandti
- Tawny-headed Mountain Finch, Leucosticte sillemi
- Asian Rosy Finch, Leucosticte arctoa
- Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, Leucosticte tephrocotis
- Black Rosy Finch, Leucosticte atrata
- Brown-capped Rosy Finch, Leucosticte australis
Famous quotes containing the words mountain and/or finch:
“A mountain chain determines many things for the statesman and philosopher. The improvements of civilization rather creep along its sides than cross its summit. How often is it a barrier to prejudice and fanaticism!”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“No more shall the war cry sever,
Or the winding rivers be red:
They banish our anger forever
When they laurel the graves of our dead!
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the Judgment Day:—
Love and tears for the Blue;
Tears and love for the Gray.”
—Francis Miles Finch (1827–1907)