Trumpeter finch

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Trumpeter finch
Trumpeter Finch - Morocco 07 2921 (23051137061).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Carduelinae
Genus: Bucanetes
Species:
B. githagineus
Binomial name
Bucanetes githagineus
Synonyms

Rhodopechys githaginea

Bucanetes githagineus amantum MHNT Bucanetes githagineus amantum 224 Fuerteventura.jpg
Bucanetes githagineus amantum MHNT

The trumpeter finch (Bucanetes githagineus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is mainly a desert species which is found in North Africa and Spain through to southern Asia. It has occurred as a vagrant in areas north of its breeding range.

Contents

Taxonomy

The trumpeter finch was formerly described in 1823 by the German naturalist Hinrich Lichtenstein under the binomial name Fringilla githaginea based on a specimen collected in Upper Egypt. [2] [3] The species is now placed together with Mongolian finch in the genus Bucanetes that was introduced in 1851 by Jean Cabanis. [4] The genus name Bucanetes is from Ancient Greek βυκανητής : bukanētēs (variant transliteration of bykanētēs), "trumpeter"; from βυκάνη : bukánē : "spiral trumpet, horn". The specific name githagineus is Latin from Githago, the corn cockle (from gith, "coriander", and -ago "resembling"). Temminck believed that the bird's name was derived from that of the plant. [5]

The genus name Bucanetes is from Ancient Greek βυκανητής : bukanētēs (variant transliteration of bykanētēs), "trumpeter"; from βυκάνη : bukánē : "spiral trumpet, horn". The specific name githagineus is Latin from Githago, the corn cockle (from gith, "coriander", and -ago "resembling"). Temminck believed that the bird's name was derived from that of the plant. [5]

There are four recognised subspecies: [4]

It has been recorded as a vagrant in Great Britain with the first records there both occurring in 1971 in Suffolk and in Sutherland, [6] Channel Island, Denmark, Sweden Germany and Austria. It is possibly a regular migrant in southern Europe away from Spain with records of flocks from Italy and Malta. [7] There was a population in the Algarve in Portugal which originated from escaped cage birds. [8]

Description

The trumpeter finch is a small, long-winged bird. It has a large head and short, very thick bill. The summer male has a red bill, grey head and neck, and pale brown upper parts. The breast, rump and tail are pink, the last having dark terminal feathers. Winter males, females and young birds are a very washed-out version of the breeding male. The song of this bird is a buzzing nasal trill, like a tin trumpet. [9]

Distribution and habitat

The trumpeter finch breeds from the Canary Islands eastwards across North Africa, as far south as Mauritania, Mali and Chad, with isolated populations in Sudan and Ethiopia and Djibouti. In the Middle East, it is found in Egypt east to Iraq and south in the Arabian Peninsula to Yemen and Oman and north into Turkey and Armenia. In central Asia it ranges from Iran north to Kazakhstan and east to India. [1] It has colonised southern Spain where breeding was first proved in 1971. [8]

They are found in desert, semi-desert and the margins of deserts. They can also be found in vast open steppe areas where there are dry desolate hills with sparse low scrubby vegetation, edges of fields, on mountain slopes, in stony plains where there are no trees, cliffs, ravines, gorges and wadis. In the desert regions of northern Africa it can also occur in villages and gardens and in regions of open sandy desert it frequents oases. The European breeding population is found in habitats where there is no tree cover but there is sparse scrub less than a metre in height, while the birds in the Canary Islands nest on sandy plains with halophytic and xerophytic scrub, as well as in more typical habitats. [1]

In the summer of 2005, there was a notable irruption of this species into northwestern Europe, with several birds reaching as far as England. [10]

Behaviour

Trumpeter finches breed from February to June in monogamous pairs. The female builds a simple nest made of a loose collection of twigs, plat stems, down and fibres such as animal hair, grass fibres and sometimes feathers. It is placed in a shallow depression in the ground, in the shade of a rock, bush or a tussock of grass. It may also be situated as high as to six metres (20 ft) above ground in a pipe or wall. The clutch is normally 4–6 eggs. They are mainly vegetarian and their diet consists of small seeds, shoots and buds of grasses and low ground-loving plants. They will eat some insects as well, mainly grasshoppers. Trumpeter finches can be resident, dispersive or nomadic. [1] They can occur in pairs or they form flocks of up to 20 individuals; larger flocks can form outside the breeding season, frequently made up of largely juvenile birds, rarely reaching 1,000 birds. In then Canary Islands they form mixed flocks with common linnets and Spanish sparrows. They will fly quite long distances in the late afternoons and in the evenings to find drinking water. [11] The population in Spain is supported by birds dispersing from North Africa joining its population. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finch</span> Family of birds

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic canary</span> Species of bird

The Atlantic canary, known worldwide simply as the wild canary and also called the island canary, common canary, or canary, is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Serinus in the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is native to the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira. It has two subspecies: the wild or common canary and domestic canary. Wild birds are mostly yellow-green, with brownish streaking on the back. The species is common in captivity and a number of colour varieties have been bred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little stint</span> Species of bird

The little stint is a very small wader. It breeds in arctic Europe and Asia, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to Africa and south Asia. It occasionally is a vagrant to North America and to Australia. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific minuta is Latin for "small.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish sparrow</span> Species of bird

The Spanish sparrow or willow sparrow is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is found in the Mediterranean region and south-west and central Asia. It is very similar to the closely related house sparrow, and the two species show their close relation in a "biological mix-up" of hybridisation in the Mediterranean region, which complicates the taxonomy of this species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawfinch</span> Species of bird

The hawfinch is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Coccothraustes. Its closest living relatives are the genus Eophona of East Asia, and Hesperiphona of Central and North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian siskin</span> Species of bird

The Eurasian siskin is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include black-headed goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Eurosiberia. It is found in forested areas, both coniferous and mixed woodland where it feeds on seeds of all kinds, especially of alder and conifers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European serin</span> Species of bird

The European serin, or simply the serin, is the smallest species of the family of finches (Fringillidae) and is closely related to the Atlantic canary. Its diet consists mainly of a combination of buds and seeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-bellied sandgrouse</span> Species of bird

The black-bellied sandgrouse is a medium large bird in the sandgrouse family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert lark</span> Species of bird

The desert lark breeds in deserts and semi-deserts from Morocco to western India. It has a very wide distribution and faces no obvious threats, and surveys have shown that it is slowly increasing in numbers as it expands its range. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mongolian finch</span> Species of bird

The Mongolian finch, also known as the Mongolian trumpeter finch, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser goldfinch</span> Species of bird

The lesser goldfinch is a small finch in the genus Spinus native to the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudan golden sparrow</span> Species of bird

The Sudan golden sparrow is a small species of bird in the sparrow family found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a famous cage bird, and in aviculture, it is known as the golden song sparrow. The Arabian golden sparrow and this species are sometimes considered one species, as the "golden sparrow".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert finch</span> Species of bird

The desert finch, sometimes called Lichtenstein's desert finch, is a large brown true finch found in southern Eurasia. Its taxonomy is confused, and it has formerly been placed in Fringilla, Bucanetes, Carduelis and Rhodopechys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canary Islands chiffchaff</span> Species of bird

The Canary Islands chiffchaff is a species of leaf warbler endemic to the Canary Islands, Spain. Sometimes the English name is spelled Canary Island chiffchaff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carduelinae</span> Subfamily of birds

The cardueline finches are a subfamily, Carduelinae, one of three subfamilies of the finch family Fringillidae, the others being the Fringillinae and the Euphoniinae. The Hawaiian honeycreepers are now included in this subfamily. Except for the Hawaiian honeycreepers which underwent adaptive radiation in Hawaii and have evolved a broad range of diets, cardueline finches are specialised seed eaters, and unlike most passerine birds, they feed their young mostly on seeds, which are regurgitated. Besides this, they differ from the other finches in some minor details of their skull. They are adept at opening seeds and clinging to stems, unlike other granivorous birds, such as sparrows and buntings, which feed mostly on fallen seeds. Some members of this subfamily are further specialised to feed on a particular type of seed, such as cones in the case of crossbills. Carduelines forage in flocks throughout the year, rather than keeping territories, and males defend their females rather than a territory or nest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common waxbill</span> Species of bird

The common waxbill, also known as the St Helena waxbill, is a small passerine bird belonging to the estrildid finch family. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to many other regions of the world and now has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km2. It is popular and easy to keep in captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African firefinch</span> Species of bird

The African firefinch, also called the blue-billed firefinch, is a common species of estrildid finch found in many parts of Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 5,400,000 km2 (2,100,000 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegetarian finch</span> Species of bird

The vegetarian finch is a species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It is the only member of the genus Platyspiza.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 BirdLife International (2019) [amended version of 2017 assessment]. "Bucanetes githagineus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T22720513A155479195. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22720513A155479195.en . Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  2. ↑ Lichtenstein, Hinrich (1823). Verzeichniss der Doubletten des Zoologischen Museums der Königl. Universität zu Berlin : nebst Beschreibung vieler bisher unbekannter Arten von Säugethieren, Vögeln, Amphibien und Fischen (in German). Berlin: T. Trautwein. p. 24.
  3. ↑ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 264.
  4. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Finches, euphonias". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  5. 1 2 Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. pp.  79, 173. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. ↑ J.N. Dymond; P.A. Fraser & S.J.M. Gantlett (1990). Rare Birds in Britain and Ireland. Poyser. pp. 305–306. ISBN   0856610534.
  7. ↑ Ian Lewington; Per Alstrom; Peter Colston (1991). A Field Guide to the Rare Birds of Britain and Europe (Collins Field Guide). HarperCollins. p. 385. ISBN   0002199173.
  8. 1 2 3 Eduardo de Juana; Ernest Garcia (2015). Birds of the Iberian Peninsula. Bloomsbury. pp. 589–90. ISBN   978-1408124802.
  9. ↑ Mark Neaman; Steve Madge (1998). The Handbook of Bird Identification: For Europe and the Western Palearctic. Helm Identification Guides. Helm. p. 781. ISBN   0713639601.
  10. ↑ P.A.Fraser; M.J.Rogers & the Rarities Committee (2007). "Report on rare birds in Great Britain in 2005 Part 2:passerines" (PDF). British Birds. 100 (2): 72–104.
  11. ↑ Clement, P. (2020). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Trumpeter Finch (Bucanetes githagineus), version 1.0" . Birds of the World. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
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