During breeding, both the male and the female Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch grow a pair of "gular pouches," opening from the floor of the mouth, which they use to carry food to the young. This species feeds mainly on minute alpine plant seeds and insects wind-borne from lower elevations. The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch is found farther to the west than the similar Brown-capped Rosy-Finch and Black Rosy-Finch. The ancestors of the rosy-finches came from Asia. The mosaic distribution of forms in the West may result from the splitting of one population during glacial periods, or from multiple invasions from Asia.