Singing female Cassin's Finch?

[John Shenot]

Does anyone on this list have knowledge about or experience with singing female Cassin's Finches? I recorded a Cassin's Finch singing at Grandview Cemetery (Larimer) today, that appears to me to be female. Checklist with photo and audio here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S87201022.

I'd love to know if anyone can share information about how normal or unusual it is for a female CAFI to sing like this, OR tell me that this female-type is not actually a female. I ask with humility: I don't pretend to have any knowledge of this subject.

BTW: This could be, in fact probably is, the same individual bird reported by Dave Leatherman on cobirds a couple of days ago.

Thanks,

John Shenot

Fort Collins, CO

[Charles Hundertmark]

I ran into a similar situation at Meyers Gulch ( Boulder County) about a week ago. Birds of the World offers two possibilities. Females sing less frequently than males and shorter songs. There is also the issue of young males retaining female-like plumage. Not sure how long that plumage is retained.

Chuck Hundertmark

Lafayette, CO

Sent from my iPhone

On May 5, 2021, at 6:50 PM, John Shenot <johns...@gmail.com> wrote:

Does anyone on this list have knowledge about or experience with singing female Cassin's Finches? I recorded a Cassin's Finch singing at Grandview Cemetery (Larimer) today, that appears to me to be female. Checklist with photo and audio here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S87201022.

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To post to this group, send email to cob...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en
* All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate
* Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/424a8dc6-fef1-4183-80e8-2683e7b6e3b4n%40googlegroups.com.

[Scott]

You need to be certain that the bird you heard singing was a female, (which can often only be verified with a bird in hand). It was more likely that you had a calling male that was still in juvenile plumage.

It takes till the spring/summer of male Cassin's finches second year before they get the red coloration.

Scott Rashid
Estes Park

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To post to this group, send email to cob...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en
* All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate
* Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/424a8dc6-fef1-4183-80e8-2683e7b6e3b4n%40googlegroups.com.

---

This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com