Cassin's finch Cassin's finch Cassin's finch ("Haemorhous cassinii") is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are placed in the genus "Haemorhous". 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
Purple-backed fairywren ear tufts are prominently featured in breeding displays. The male in breeding plumage has striking bright blue ear coverts and blue-purple crown and forehead, a black throat and nape, a blue-purple upper back, chestnut shoulders and a bluish-grey tail. The wings are drab brown and the belly white. Within subspecies "assimilis", the plumage of both sexes is becomes paler from east to west across its range, with those of northwestern Australia paler still. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles of subspecies "assimilis" are predominantly grey-brown in colour, while those of subspecies "rogersi" and "dulcis" are mainly blue-grey. Males of all subspecies