Blanford's Snowfinch
Pyrgilauda blanfordi
Like many other snowfinches, the Blanford’s is found in open areas on high-altitude steppes and hills, but generally prefers drier areas than other species. Predominantly white and brown with a black crescent curving around the front of the face and a pale orange one curving around the back, giving the bird a somewhat round-cheeked appearance. Often quite tame, taking scraps from hikers, monks, and shepherds.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pyrgilauda blanfordi
- Authority
- (Hume, 1876)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Passeridae
- Genus
- Pyrgilauda
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Hooded Tanager
Nemosia pileata
Small tanager found in semiopen woodlands, savannas, and pastures with scattered trees often in association with mixed-species flocks. In males note the yellow eyes contrasting with its black hood and white forehead. Otherwise mostly gray above and white below. Females lack the black cap and have a bicolored bill, which is all black in males, and generally look duller overall.

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver
Plocepasser mahali
A large, boldly patterned brown-and-white sparrow-weaver. The bold white eyebrow, wingbars, and rump are striking. Family groups are resident in arid thorn scrub and drier broadleaf woodland, where they make messy nests in trees and forage mostly on the ground for insects and seed. The song is high-pitched, varied, and metallic, sounding like a computer-generated laser gun. The similar Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver differs from White-browed Sparrow-Weaver by having a brown (not white) rump and a chestnut (not dark brown) head with a different pattern.

Pink-headed Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula rosacea
Large elegant pigeon with dark olive-green wings and back. “Pink” on the upperparts is at most a faint blush and is often not noticeable. Similar Green Imperial-Pigeon is brighter green on the upperparts and lacks Pink-headed’s weakly contrasting pale gray “collar”. Typically an offshore species of forests on small islets, though can sometimes be found along the coastlines of larger islands. Listen for its song, a melancholy descending series of booming coos: “OO-OO-OOh-ooh-oo”.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.