Blanford bullfinches
| Blanford bullfinches | ||||||||||||
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Blanford bullfinch ( Agraphospiza rubescens ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Agraphospiza | ||||||||||||
| Zuccon , Prŷs-Jones , Rasmussen & Ericson , 2012 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Agraphospiza rubescens | ||||||||||||
| ( Blanford , 1872) |
The Blanford bullfinch ( Agraphospiza rubescens , syn .: Carpodacus rubescens ) is a songbird from the finch family . It is similar to the indigenous carmine pennant , with which it has long been in the same genus. However, based on molecular genetic studies from 2012, the species is now listed in the monotypic genus Agraphospiza . The rare species colonizes parts of the Himalayas and the western People's Republic of China .
description
At 15 cm, the Blanford bullfinch is about the size of a green . The wing length of the male is 80–85 mm, that of the female 76–81 mm. The tail length is between 49 and 55 mm.
The sexes differ significantly in the color of the plumage. The head of the male is brightly red, the upper side is a little darker with two lighter, red wing bands. The sides of the body are reddish, the lower abdomen is lighter to beige. The female is monochrome olive brown on the upper side and sometimes tinged with reddish. The underside is lighter to beige. The youth dress is similar to that of the female. Males in the first winter are less brightly colored on the upper side than adult specimens.
The species is monotypical . Birds from the Chinese province of Yúnnán are a bit darker and were previously described as a subspecies saturatior .
The singing has not yet been described. The call is a thin, high sip or a rising and falling series of sounds, such as pit-schu pit-chit chi-it chit-ju .
Distribution, habitat and way of life
The Blanford bullfinch inhabits the Himalayas from central Nepal and western Tibet eastwards to Sikkim , Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh . It inhabits the west and northwest of Yúnnán, the western and central Sichuan and the southeastern Gānsù . The species is quite rare everywhere, but is classified as not endangered due to the size of its range.
The Blanford bullfinch can be found in open forest clearings in coniferous, mixed and birch forests. It occurs at altitudes of up to 4000 m in summer and migrates to lower altitudes between 1500 and 2500 in winter. In the breeding season the species can be found in pairs, in winter groups of up to 30 specimens form. Nothing is known about food and breeding biology.
literature
- P. Clement, A. Harris, J. Davis: Finches and Sparrows. Helm Identification Guides, London 1993/1999, ISBN 0-7136-5203-9 .
Web links
- Agraphospiza rubescens inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.3. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Agraphospiza rubescens in the Internet Bird Collection
- Photos of Carpodacus rubescens in the Oriental Bird Club image database , accessed March 17, 2010
Individual evidence
- ↑ D. Zuccon, R. Prŷs-Jones, P. Rasmussen and P. Ericson: The phylogenetic relationships and generis Limits of finches (Fringillidae) . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . tape 62 , no. 2 , February 2012, p. 581-596 , doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2011.10.002 ( nrm.se [PDF]).