Common rosefinch | |
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Male in Russia | |
Female at Baur reservoir in Uttarakhand, India | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Fringillidae |
Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
Genus: | Carpodacus |
Species: | C. erythrinus |
Binomial name | |
Carpodacus erythrinus (Pallas, 1770) | |
Range of C. erythrinus Breeding Non-breeding | |
Synonyms | |
Erythrina erythrina |
The common rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) or scarlet rosefinch is the most widespread and common rosefinch of Asia and Europe.
In a molecular phylogenetic study of the finch family published in 2012, Zuccon and colleagues found that the common rosefinch fell outside the core Carpodacus rosefinch clade and was a sister to the scarlet finch (at the time Haematospiza sipahi). They recommended that the common rosefinch should be moved to a new monotypic genus with the resurrected name of Erythrina. [2] The British Ornithologists' Union accepted this proposal, [3] but the International Ornithological Union chose instead to adopt a more inclusive Carpodacus that retained the common rosefinch in the rosefinch genus. [4]
The genus name is from Ancient Greek karpos, "fruit" and dakno, "to bite", and the specific erythrinus is from Latin erythros, "red". [5]
The common rosefinch is 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) in length. [6] It has a stout and conical bill. The mature male has brilliant rosy-carmine head, breast and rump; heavy bill; dark brown wings with two indistinct bars, and a white belly. Females and young males are dull-colored with yellowish-brown above, brighter on the rump and greyer on head; buff below.
Adults moult in their winter quarters, between September and November. After moulting the red of male is subdued, and becomes brighter during the winter due to wear of the feathers. [7]
A rare form exists, in which the red colouring of males is replaced by yellow. The cause is environmental, rather than genetic, being affected by diet and the presence of parasites. [8]
It has spread westward through Europe; in recent decades, it has been observed in Portugal, [9] even breeding in England once. Common rosefinches breed from the Danube valley, Sweden, and Siberia to the Bering Sea; the Caucasus, northern Iran and Afghanistan, the western Himalayas, Tibet and China; to Japan between latitudes 25° and 68°. In winter they are found from southern Iran to south-east China, India, Burma, and Indochina. It occurs as a vagrant in Sri Lanka.
They are found in summer in thickets, woodland and forest edges near rivers and in winter in gardens and orchards, wetlands and locally in dry oak woods.[ citation needed ]
The nest is placed low in a bush. The eggs are dark blue with coarse dark brown spots, and a typical clutch contains five eggs.[ citation needed ]
The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide native distribution except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty genera. It includes the canaries, siskins, redpolls, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias, as well as the morphologically divergent Hawaiian honeycreepers.
The rosefinches are a genus, Carpodacus, of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. Most are called "rosefinches" and as the word implies, have various shades of red in their plumage. The common rosefinch is frequently called the "rosefinch". The genus name is from the Ancient Greek terms karpos, "fruit", and dakno, "to bite".
The common redpoll or mealy redpoll is a species of bird in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs.
The twite is a small brown passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.
The purple finch is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. It breeds in the northern United States, southern Canada, and the west coast of North America.
The pine grosbeak is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is the only species in the genus Pinicola. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Canada, and in subarctic Fennoscandia and across the Palearctic to Siberia. The species is a frugivore, especially in winter, favoring small fruits, such as rowans. With fruit-crop abundance varying from year to year, pine grosbeak is one of many subarctic-resident bird species that exhibit irruptive behavior. In irruption years, individuals can move long distances in search of suitable food supplies, bringing them farther south and/or downslope than is typical of years with large fruit crops.
The scarlet myzomela or scarlet honeyeater is a small passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to Australia. It was first described by English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. At 9 to 11 cm long, it is the smallest honeyeater in Australia. It has a short tail and relatively long down-curved bill. It is sexually dimorphic; the male is a striking bright red with black wings, while the female is entirely brown. The species is more vocal than most honeyeaters, and a variety of calls have been recorded, including a bell-like tinkling.
The Cape siskin is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is an endemic resident breeder in the southern Cape Province of South Africa.
The sickle-winged chat or sicklewing chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae endemic to southern Africa. It is a common resident breeder in South Africa and Lesotho, and is also found in southernmost areas of Botswana and Namibia. Its habitat is Karoo scrub, short grassland, and barren sandy or stony areas. In western coastal areas, it also occurs on agricultural land.
The dark-breasted rosefinch is a species of true finch in the monotypic genus Procarduelis. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are boreal forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.
The Tibetan rosefinch, also known as Roborovski's rosefinch, is a species of rosefinch in the finch family Fringillidae. It is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Kozlowia. It is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. Its natural habitat is montane tundra.
Blanford's rosefinch or the crimson rosefinch, is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal. Its natural habitat is boreal forest.
The scarlet finch is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is found in the Himalayas from Uttarakhand state in the Indian Himalayas eastwards across Nepal, stretching further east to the adjacent hills of Northeast India and Southeast Asia as far south as Thailand. It is resident in the Himalayas, but many birds winter to the immediate south. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
Sillem's rosefinch, also known as Sillem's mountain finch or tawny-headed mountain finch is a species of rosefinch in the finch family. It is found only in China and was only known from two specimens collected in 1929 from the Aksai Chin area of southern Xinjiang Autonomous Region. In 2012, the bird was photographed 1500 km from the original collection location. This species was originally placed in the genus Leucosticte but a phylogenetic study using mitochondrial DNA sequences published in 2016 found that Sillem's rosefinch was a sister species to the Tibetan rosefinch. The International Ornithological Committee therefore moved Sillem's mountain finch to the genus Carpodacus.
The crimson-browed finch is a true finch species. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate shrubland.
The Siberian long-tailed rosefinch is a species of finch of the family Fringillidae.
Sharpe's rosefinch is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in central China and far northern Myanmar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the spot-winged rosefinch.
The Chinese white-browed rosefinch is a true finch species.
The Chinese beautiful rosefinch is a true finch species. It is one of the rosefinches that might belong in the genus Propasser. It is found in China and Mongolia. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.
The American rosefinches that form the genus Haemorhous are a group of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. As the name implies, various shades of red are characteristic plumage colors of this group. They are found throughout the North American continent.