Bullfinch

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Bullfinch
Pyrrhospiza punicea Grovold.jpg

Rockfinch ( Carpodacus puniceus )

Systematics
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Finches (Fringillidae)
Subfamily : Goldfinches (Carduelinae)
Tribe : Carpodacini
Genre : Carrion Pickle ( Carpodacus )
Type : Bullfinch
Scientific name
Carpodacus puniceus
( Blyth , 1845)

The rock gimlet or mountain carmine ( Carpodacus puniceus ) is a songbird from the finch family . The East Palaeartk species occurs from Central Asia to northern Pakistan , northern India and northwestern China . It populates alpine meadows, plateaus, block and scree slopes and steep slopes. The rock bullfinch is one of the songbirds with the highest nesting sites in the Palearctic.

description

Appearance

The rock bullfinch is 20 cm long and taller than a grosbeak . The species is similar to the mountain and mountain bullfinch , but can be easily distinguished from them due to various features. The beak is comparatively long, pointed and has a dark tip. The wing length of the nominate form is between 106 and 120 mm in the male and between 105 and 117 mm in the female. The tail length is 72–85 mm in the male and 70–82 mm in the female.

As with all species of the genus, the sexes differ significantly in the color of the plumage. The male is monotonous brown with a deep carmine-red face, front breast and rump. The forehead and the stripe above the eye, cheeks and lower ear covers, chin, throat and chest are brightly carmine-red in color. Some feathers on the chest and throat show lighter tips and the red runs down to the lower chest. Reins, eye stripes and upper ear covers are brownish to dark brown. The belly is brown with dark stripes, the flanks are darker brown. The under tail-coverts are pink with dark brown stripes. The vertex, neck, back and shoulder feathers are brown with dark dashes. The lower back is not dashed, the rump bright pink to carmine red. The arm covers are brown with lighter hems. The wing, coverts and wings are dark brown with narrow, beige edges. The forked joint is also dark brown with light feather edges.

In the female, the upper side is dark gray-brown with beige feather tips on the forehead and dark dotted lines, which are strongest on the back and neck. The rump and tail-tail are lighter olive brown, in older animals this part can be yellow or yellow-brown. It also shows fine, dark dashes. The face is beige-brown with dark dashes. The chin, throat and upper chest are pale yellow, the lower chest and stomach are warm brown and overlaid with gray. The flanks play into the gray. The entire bottom is dashed dark. Wing and control feathers are colored like the male.

Fledglings are similar to females, but are generally more brownish without the shade of gray. The dark stripes are stronger. The color of the breast and rump develops from the first winter and is usually not fully developed in the second summer.

The species has a relatively short escape distance and seldom flies far when startled, but is always very alert when approaching. The animals tend to hop on the ground.

voice

The call is a rather loud and bell-like , happy whistle. Furthermore, a cat-like maaau and a sparrow-like chirping can be heard as a flight call. A short Twidel-li-die and a soft chirping can be heard as vocals . You can hear the singing irregularly all year round.

Distribution and geographic variation

The distribution area of ​​the rock bullfinch stretches from Tianshan north of the Tarim Basin in an arc around it westward to the Pamir and eastward through the Himalayas to western China. The subspecies differ in size and plumage. The nominate form is quite small, has intense red areas and a strongly dashed back. The two north-western subspecies are larger and paler and less intense in color, in C. p. kilianensis , the male's red forehead is on average less extended to the crown. C. p. longirostris is the largest subspecies with a relatively long beak and paler, but more intense red in color. Some males show a very extensive red forehead area. C. p. sikangensis creates the transition between the latter and the nominate form.

The species is not uncommon or locally abundant, but nowhere numerous. She is not threatened.

Way of life

The rock bullfinch lives at extreme altitudes and is one of the two songbird species with the highest nesting sites in the Palearctic . The breeding areas are between 3900 and 5700 m, well above the tree line and often also at the vegetation line. The species breeds on alpine meadows, plateaus, in dry valleys, on scree and block heaps as well as on steep slopes and glaciers. In winter it sometimes migrates to lower elevations, but mostly only to the lower edge of the breeding areas between 3000 and 4575 m, more rarely down to 2400 or even 1500 m. It also endures long cold spells with extremely low temperatures.

The rock bullfinch is usually found in small groups or family groups. Food is sought on the ground, in rhododendron bushes , stunted juniper or other shrubs and often on the edge of thawing snowfields. It consists of small seeds from high alpine plants, but also of buds or flowers in summer.

literature

Web links

Commons : Carpodacus puniceus  - collection of images, videos and audio files