Hi all: Just noticed a note in Cobirds that encouraged me to write this reminder.
The family Fringilidae, the true finches, is comprised of a variety of species that exhibit a variety of plumage-maturation rates -- that is, varying time from juvenal to adult or definitive plumage. Many species exhibit delayed plumage maturation, that is, they take at least a year to reach definitive plumage. Pine Grosbeak is one such beast, as are Purple and Cassin's finches -- but not House Finch. First-year males of these species are very similar in appearance to that of females. In fact, it is very difficult -- often impossible -- to determine the age and sex of female-plumaged individuals of these species in the field and can actually be quite difficult to get right in the hand. So, just because a female-plumaged individual of one of these species is hanging out in winter with an obvious male, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a female. Oh, the odds are strong because there are more females of all ages than there are immature males, but not definite. Tony Leukering Villas, NJ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds". To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en Visit the CFO Website at: www.cfo-link.org
