Rose-mantled bullfinch
| Rose-mantled bullfinch | ||||||||||||
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Drawing of the rose-mantled bullfinch ( Carpodacus rhodochlamys ) by John Gould |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Carpodacus rhodochlamys | ||||||||||||
| ( Brandt , 1843) |
The Rose coat Gimpel or Rotmantelkarmingimpel ( Carpodacus rhodochlamys ) is a songbird from the family of finches . This East Palearctic carmine rennet lives in Central Asia in parts of Afghanistan , northwest India , northwest China and Mongolia . It lives in mountain forests and on alpine meadows.
The subspecies C. r. grandis is often viewed as a separate species of the Greater Rose-mantled Bullfinch ( Carpodacus grandis ).
description
Appearance
With a length of 18 cm, the rose-mantled bullfinch is about the same size as a grosbeak . The species is noticeable for its strong beak and looks like a larger version of the rose- browed imp . In the nominate form , the wing length of the male is about 86–91 mm, that of the female 88–92 mm. The tail length of the male is between 69 and 74 mm, that of the female between 65 and 70 mm. The 14.5–15 mm long beak is strong with a deep base and a round ridge. The upper bill is brownish, the lower bill yellowish horn-colored. The legs are fleshy brown.
The sexes differ significantly in the color of the plumage. In the male, the vertex and neck are dark red with inconspicuous dashes. The front forehead and the stripe above the eyes are pale pink with whitish tips. The stripe above the eyes extends to the sides of the neck. The reins and the wide eye stripe are dark red, the cheeks and ear covers are dark pink with a few long, white feathers. The chin and throat are dark reddish with light tips. The underside is pink to lilac in color with a brownish tint on the flanks, the under tail-coverts are lighter. The back and shoulder feathers are brown with dark stripes and heavily washed with red. The rump is a solid light pink. The upper tail-coverts are brown with pink to reddish borders. The forked tail is dark to blackish brown with reddish or dark red edges. The arm covers are dark brown with pale brown hems, tinged with reddish and with lighter tips. The wing, coverts and wings are colorless dark brown with pale brown, pink-tinged edges. The umbrella feathers are similar, but have a broad, brownish-pink hem that turns beige towards the tip.
In the female, the vertex, neck, back and shoulder feathers are ash-brown and strongly streaked, the face is usually a little lighter and more finely dashed. The rump is similarly colored and sometimes tinged with pink. The upper tail-coverts are gray-brown with dark feather centers. The tail is dark brown with pale brown edges. The wing plumage is similar to that of the male, but it lacks the reddish tint. The underside is dashed off-white or whitish and dark brown. The under tail-coverts are beige-brown.
Birds in their youthful plumage and in the first winter cannot be distinguished from the female.
voice
The call is a plaintive, hoarse, or humming whistle that can be described as quiee or squiee . A sharp, short confused sound can also be heard. The singing has not yet been described.
Distribution and geographic variation
The East Palearctic rose-mantled bullfinch inhabits numerous Central Asian mountains from northern Afghanistan to northern Mongolia and south to the western Himalayas. The nominate form differs from the larger subspecies C. r. grandis because it is colored more strongly red. The latter is also more brownish on top and less strongly drawn. The subspecies C. r. kotschubeii is a transitional form in terms of size and color. It also lacks the light forehead and the top is heavily reddish.
Some authors consider the subspecies grandis to be a separate species, Large Rose-mantled Bullfinch ( Carpodacus grandis ) Blyth , 1849, or Greater Red-mantled Carmine .
- C. r. rhodochlamys Brandt, 1843 - Tianshan westwards to about 71 ° east and eastwards through Kashgar to the western Kunlun Mountains and northwards through the Djungarian Alatau , the Tarbagatai Mountains and the western foothills of the Altai to northern Mongolia ( Chentii Mountains and possibly in the Changai Mountains )
- C. r. kotschubeii Zarudny , 1913 - Alai and Pamir
- C. r. grandis (Blyth, 1849) - Hindu Kush , northern Afghanistan and Balochistan , Karakoram , northern Pakistan and western Himalayas eastward to Kashmir
The rose-mantled bullfinch is only common locally and otherwise rare. However, according to the IUCN, the population is not threatened.
Way of life
During the breeding season, the rose-mantled bullfinch is found in altitudes between 2720 and 4900 m above sea level, in winter it migrates to lower elevations and valleys between 2200 and 2600 m. Sometimes it can be found at heights of 1200 m. The nominate form winters in the west of the region around Tashkent and eastwards.
The rose-jacketed bullfinch breeds mainly in juniper and deciduous forests as well as woody plants or wild rose bushes in alpine meadows. He prefers honeysuckles , pea bushes and barberries . In winter you can find it in stocks of roses or other thorn bushes, in orchards or on the edge of the cultivated landscape.
It can be found in pairs or in small groups, and in winter solitary birds can also be observed. It usually stays in the lower shrub layer or looks for food on the ground. The diet consists of seeds from shrubs, roses and flowers such as dandelions.
literature
- P. Clement, A. Harris, J. Davis: Finches and Sparrows , Helm Identification Guides, London 1993/1999, ISBN 0-7136-5203-9
annotation
- ↑ Clement et al. (see literature) write here "Altai range" . This is probably a typographical error, because the species occurs in the western foothills of the Altai, but according to the information above, the nominate form is at home here. At this point, the Alai is meant with some certainty, because this is directly adjacent to the described area of the nominate form.
Web links
- Carpodacus rhodochlamys in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed March 21 of 2010.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Carpodacus rhodochlamys in the Internet Bird Collection
- Photos of Carpodacus rhodochlamys in the Oriental Bird Club image database , accessed March 21, 2010