Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch
Carpodacus davidianus
A heavily marked rosefinch that is closely related to and extremely similar to Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch. Male averages more extensively pink with a broader pink brow. The female, on the other hand is almost indistinguishable; look for a more square-tipped and slightly shorter tail. Best distinguished by calls; gives sharp metallic notes instead of Himalayan Beautiful’s more mellow trills and twitters. Inhabits similar montane scrub and open forest habitat, occasionally ventures down into the outskirts of towns and villages; often singly or in pairs.
Taxonomy
The Chinese beautiful rosefinch, Himalayan beautiful rosefinch and a subspecies of pink-rumped rosefinch (C. w. waltoni) were considered conspecific, called "beautiful rosefinch" (C. pulcherrimus). While the phylogenetic relationship among rosefinches was reconstructed in a 2013 study, two mitochondrial genes and two nuclear genes were used. It revealed that C. p. waltoni is closer to C. eos, and has now been merged into the same species, pink-rumped rosefinch, and its scientific name changed to C. waltoni. While the Chinese beautiful rosefinch and Himalayan beautiful rosefinch were split into two different species, the former was named C. davidianus, and the latter has the scientific name C. pulcherrimus of "beautiful rosefinch". After the taxonomic revision, the Chinese beautiful rosefinch is a monotypic species.
- Scientific name
- Carpodacus davidianus
- Authority
- Milne-Edwards, 1865
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Carpodacus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : ec Palearctic in e Chinese mts., in montane forest edge and dry slopes: se Inner Mongolia (ne China) s through Shaanxi, Shanxi and Hebei
- Non-breeding range
- to lower elevations
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pale-naped Brushfinch
Atlapetes pallidinucha
This brushfinch is yellow below and grayish above. The forecrown is tawny, fading to white on the nape. No other brushfinch is yellow below with a white nape. A high elevation species, occurring in scrubby habitats and forest edge from around 2,700-3,700m. Pairs usually forage at lower levels, sometimes accompanying a mixed-species flock.
Whistling Dove
Ptilinopus layardi
A unique Fijian dove. Male’s combination of bright yellow head, green body, and yellow undertail is diagnostic. Female is mostly green with a variably gray belly patch and yellow undertail. She resembles female Orange and Golden Doves, but those species do not overlap in range. Frequently heard giving two call types: a loud rising whistle followed by a metallic note, “wheEE!-chit”; and a second, more sneeze-like “nyehh.”
American Flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
Unmistakable but very local wading bird with very long, ‘coat-hanger’ neck and very long legs. Adult is hot pink, but 1st-year birds are brown and white overall, attaining fully adult colors in 2-3 years. Usually found in flocks in shallow, saline lagoons. Flamingoes fly in straggling lines, much like geese, and their honking and braying calls can also sound rather like geese. Beware that many people use ‘flamingo’ for Roseate Spoonbill, another (much more widespread) pink wading bird, which other than color is very differently shaped than a flamingo.
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