Sinai Rosefinch

Carpodacus synoicus

A small and long-tailed, small-billed finch. Virtually unstreaked. Male has a pink face and breast with a whitish forehead and crown. Female is pale gray-brown overall with a whitish belly. Lives in deep desert canyons. Resident or locally nomadic. Often flies long distances to water sources. Its rarely-heard song is a quick series of 6–7 metallic “Tzi-tzi-tzi-tzi-tzi-tzi” notes. Flight call a metallic “Tziup.”

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Carpodacus synoicus
Authority
(Temminck, 1825)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Fringillidae
Genus
Carpodacus

Range and habitat

Breeding range
PAL : sc Palearctic in barren rocky montane n, ne Red Sea coasts: s, e Sinai Pen. (ne Egypt), se Israel, sw Jordan and far nw Saudi Arabia
Non-breeding range
to lower elevations, short-distance southward
Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Smoky Warbler

Smoky Warbler

Phylloscopus fuligiventer

Dark sooty leaf warbler with a pale brow stripe and no wingbars. Yellow wash to the underparts tends to be absent in worn birds. Extremely similar in appearance to Dusky Warbler, which averages larger and darker overall, and has a longer, brighter brow stripe. Breeds in scrubby areas above the treeline and moves downhill into shrubby and grassy foothill and lowland areas. Forages low on the ground, often around rocks or water. Song is a repetitive series of liquid notes. Calls are dry, hard “chuck” or “tick” notes.

Russet-winged Spadebill

Russet-winged Spadebill

Platyrinchus leucoryphus

Small flycatcher with a broad flat bill, although the bill shape can be difficult to see. A rare inhabitant of the undergrowth of humid forests and old second growth. Note the white spot on an olive-brown crown, a prominent buff eyebrow, and pale ear patch. The back is olive-brown in contrast to the cinnamon wings, white throat, and buff belly. The call is a very sharp whistled “tchew-tchew.”

Short-tailed Hawk

Short-tailed Hawk

Buteo brachyurus

Rather small hawk that is often seen soaring on flat wings with tips swept upwards, suddenly dropping out of the sky like a rock. Dark morph adult is very dark brown with paler undersides on outer flight feathers. Dark juvenile similar but is distinctly spotted below, and lacks the terminal band on the wings. Light morph adult is clean white below and brown above with rusty patch on the side of its neck, a dark hood and a white throat. Light morph juvenile is similar but lacks rusty patch. All birds have a faintly banded tail. Most similar to Broad-winged Hawk, which is never clean white below. Dark morph Broad-winged separable from dark morph Short-tailed Hawks by tail pattern and wing shape.

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