Spot-winged Rosefinch
Carpodacus rodopeplus
Rather large rosefinch of the Himalayas. Male is dark pink with broad pale eyebrows and two rows of fine white specks on the wings. Female is dark buffy brown with pale eyebrows. Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch female has uniformly whiter underparts. Spot-winged breeds in alpine meadows, scrub, and conifer forest edge; winters in similarly scrubby areas as well as forests lower down. Calls include a distinctive wheezy “cheWEE!”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Carpodacus rodopeplus
- Authority
- (Vigors, 1831)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Carpodacus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL, OR : sc Palearctic-n Oriental region in w to ec Himalayas, in alpine meadows, high montane scrub and forest edge: from w Uttarakhand (nw India), s Tibet and Sikkim (nc India)
- Non-breeding range
- to lower elevations
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

White-browed Robin-Chat
Cossypha heuglini
A large robin-chat with striking fiery orange underparts and collar, and a dark mask and crown split by broad white eyebrows. The back and wings are olive-gray. Pairs prefer forest thickets in well developed woodland, where they forage on the ground and sing from mid-canopy. Basic variations of the bold duetted “puu-deet, puu-deet, puu-deet” song get louder and louder in a characteristic crescendo, often incorporating varied jumbled notes and imitations of other species. The similar Rüppell's Robin-Chat is smaller than White-browed Robin-Chat, has black (not brown) central tail feathers, and prefers montane forest. The lowland forest-loving Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat is smaller yet, and has a diagnostic iridescent bluish forewing.

Sharp-tailed Tyrant
Culicivora caudacuta
A handsome tiny flycatcher with a long spiky tail. Note the conspicuous broad white eyebrow and white chin. It has black-and-brown streaking down its back and rusty sides. Inhabits tall grasslands in the lowlands that are rarely disturbed; can be hard to spot in the tall vegetation. Not very vocal; the song is a series of weak and short “tweee tweee tweee” notes.

Little Brown Bustard
Heterotetrax humilis
A small and relatively short-necked bustard. The male has a black-and-gray pattern on the head, while the female is plainer, but with abundant white spotting. Both sexes show a white belly. A white bar across the wing is conspicuous in flight. Found in dry savanna, shrubland, and semi-desert habitats. Often in pairs. Smaller than other bustards in its range. Somewhat like Buff-crested Bustard, but has a white rather than black belly.
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