Utah’s ski resorts are home to a rarely seen bird, the black rosy-finch. The Division of Wildlife Resources is studying these birds to learn more about them – but having their habitat at high elevations in rugged terrain makes that a challenge.
Biologists will be catching and tagging the black rosy-finch to track their movements and patterns all month.
Adam Brewerton, Northern Region Wildlife Conservation Biologist from the DWR, explains the importance of tracking the birds.
“It can't necessarily go higher up a mountain when they're already at the very top of the mountain - the hypothesis is that the high alpine species are under a certain amount of threat because they're cold adapted," Brewerton says. "We know so little about this bird really just kind of that simple step of trying to link where they spend their winters and then hopefully try and link that back to where they spent their summers and then track a trend through years.”
Brewerton says scientists believe the birds’ migratory and breeding patterns are in flux due to climate change.
For bird-watchers interested in larger feathered friends, February is bald eagle month in Utah and the best time to see them here. Eagles winter in this area to escape colder conditions and find food. The birds are large and social, and can be fun to watch and photograph. The DWR will host free eagle-viewing events across the state.
For dates and locations of eagle-viewing events, visit wildlife.utah.gov.