Thin-billed bullfinch
| Thin-billed bullfinch | ||||||||||||
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Male of the thin-billed bullfinch ( Procarduelis nipalensis ) in a rhododendron |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Procarduelis | ||||||||||||
| Blyth , 1843 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Procarduelis nipalensis | ||||||||||||
| ( Hodgson , 1836) |
The thin-billed bullfinch ( Procarduelis nipalensis , Syn . : Carpodacus nipalensis ) is a songbird from the finch family . He inhabits the Himalayas from northern India to southern Tibet and western China . Due to molecular genetic studies from 2012 the species was from the kind of Rosefinch ( Carpodacus outsourced) and in the monotypic genus Procarduelis asked.
description
Appearance
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The thin-billed bullfinch is 15-16 cm long, about the size of a chaffinch . Compared to the carmini species, the species looks quite dark, the beak is fine and pointed. Like the feet, it is dark to pale brown. The wing length of the male is 81–96 mm, that of the female 74–90 mm. The tail length is between 53 and 66 mm, the weight between 22 and 23.5 g. The feet are reddish brown.
The sexes differ significantly in the color of the plumage. The male is colored pink on the front of the head, chin, throat and cheeks, as well as a broad stripe above the eyes, which usually only begins behind the eye. Rein and an indicated eye stripe are almost black. The back of the head, the ear covers , the sides of the neck and the nape of the neck are tinged with dark brown and a strong wine red. The back and umbrella feathers are colored similarly, but here the wine-red forms more clearly defined hems. The wine red is strong on the chest and stomach and then merges into the brown of the flanks and the dark old pink of the lower abdomen. On the flanks, clear wine-red hems are usually still visible. The under tail coverts are usually lined with light. The arm covers are darker brown than the back and show wine-red or sometimes lighter hems. The wing, coverts and wings are blackish with fine, reddish borders. The slightly forked tail is black-brown with red-brown or purple hems.
The female is overall dark to beige brown. The parting is a little darker than the face and underside. The otherwise dark brown upper side is slightly lighter and streaked. The rear back and upper tail coverts are solid beige-brown. The arm covers are dark brown with light, often warm brown tips that form a double wing band. The rest of the wing is dark brown with narrow, lighter seams. The joint is dark brown with lighter edges. The beak is paler brown than that of the male.
The youth dress is similar to that of the female, but is usually a bit more olive-brown on the upper side with paler, faded stripes. Males in the first year are often more reddish brown on top. The adult dress shows itself completely in the second winter.
voice
The characteristic call is a plaintive, two-syllable whistle. In addition, a sparrow-like twittering and a cha-a-rrr can be heard as an alarm call. The singing is a monotonous chirping.
Distribution and geographic variation
The brood distribution of the thin-billed bullfinch is mainly in the Himalayas . It stretches from northwest India to western China . Up to three subspecies are recognized, whereby these only represent degrees of clinical variation from west to east, towards a darker, more intense plumage color.
- P. n. Nipalensis ( Hodgson , 1836) - Himalayas, from central Nepal and southern Tibet to Sikkim and Bhutan to northern Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
- P. n. Kangrae ( Whistler , 1939) - western Himalayas, Kashmir to Uttar Pradesh
- P. n. Intensicolor Baker , 1925 - from southern Gānsù through Sichuan to northern Yunnan
habitat
The thin-billed bullfinch inhabits mixed forests of oaks and conifers as well as rhododendron forests in high mountain areas. Above the tree line, it also occurs in stunted bushes as well as in rocky slopes and gorges with grass or shrub growth. In winter it is often found in clearings, in the undergrowth and on the edge of the cultivated landscape.
hikes
The thin-billed bullfinch is generally a resident bird , but migrates to lower elevations in winter. Its altitude distribution is in the breeding season between 3030 and 4242 m above sea level. In winter it can be found at altitudes between 1500 and 2730 m. In harsh winters, it hikes as an exception to heights of 1200 m. The birds of the subspecies P. n. Intensicolor hibernate partly in the northeast of Myanmar and more rarely in mountainous regions in northeast Thailand .
Way of life
The relatively common species is quite shy and usually remains hidden in the cover of the shrub layer or on the ground. She lives in pairs or in small, often same-sex groups. Larger clusters can also form in spring. Sometimes it socializes with the rhododendron pimp ( Pinicola subhimachalus ). Nothing is known about the breeding behavior. The diet consists of seeds and berries, but apparently also of parts of flowers and nectar from rhododendrons .
literature
- P. Clement, A. Harris, J. Davis: Finches and Sparrows. Helm Identification Guides, London 1993/1999, ISBN 0-7136-5203-9 .
Web links
- Procarduelis nipalensis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.3. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings on Procarduelis nipalensis in the Internet Bird Collection
- Photos of Carpodacus nipalensis in the Oriental Bird Club image database , accessed March 16, 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]).