Mongolian Finch
Bucanetes mongolicus
A pale, large-billed finch found in dry areas with sparse plant cover. Usually seen in small and medium-sized groups. Pinkish hues make it superficially similar to rosefinches, but it is much paler overall with very different patterning. Male is brown with a pink blush on the brow, rump, breast, and wings. Females are pale gray-brown with much fainter, almost unnoticeable, pink. White wing stripes flash brightly in flight. Usually fairly quiet outside of breeding season. Calls consist of various rising nasal notes and chirrups; song is a jumbled series of these notes.
Identification
The Mongolian finch is a small, long-winged bird. It has a large head and short, thick greyish-yellow bill. In breeding plumage, males have a pink flush to their face and underparts, and there are extensive white and pink areas in the wings, a pattern that is also present but less marked in non-breeding plumage.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Bucanetes mongolicus
- Authority
- (Swinhoe, 1870)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Bucanetes
Range and habitat
This bird is a resident from eastern Turkey, across the Caucasus, east into Central Asia and on to western China and Mongolia and south into the Kashmir. Mountainous areas of stony desert or semi-arid scrub and rocky slopes are favoured for breeding. It is native to Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, India, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. It is a vagrant in Bahrain.<p>The first record for Armenia was in 2001 near Vedi. Further birds were seen here in 2002.<p>It was first recorded in Azerbaijan at Bulgan in early May 1912 (Beme 1926) Bulgan is in the Nakhchivan region, which is separated from the main part of the country by a strip of Armenian territory; Kirwan & Konrad (1995) incorrectly list this site as being in Armenia. Beddard et al. (2002) were unaware of any records from the main part of the country.<p>In Turkey, the species' occurrence in the far east of the country is well documented, e.g. Kirwan & Conrad (1995), Roselaar (1995).<p>Kirwan et al. (2000) published information suggesting that the species' Turkish range may be more extensive, including a record in 1999 from Sivrikaya in the Pontic Mountains, 100 km northwest of the core Turkish range, and one in 1982 from Sultanbabadagi, Tunceli, 200 km west of its core range. They also suggest that an adult with a fledged juvenile seen on the eastern side of Lake Tuz in 1967, and identified at the time as desert finches, may actually have been Mongolian finches.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Brown-rumped Bunting
Emberiza affinis
A colorful, boldly marked bunting. Note the black-and-white facial pattern, the brown back and rump, and the yellow underparts. Found in broadleaf woodland, moist savanna, and cultivated areas. Similar to Golden-breasted Bunting, but separated by the narrower black stripes on the face, the yellow belly, and the lack of white wingbars. Somewhat similar to Cabanis’s Bunting, but separated by the brown back and the mostly white rather than black cheek patch. The song is a quick warbling jumble, ending on a higher trill.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanus
This common Eurasian species is a close relative of the House Sparrow. Slightly smaller than House Sparrow with entirely rufous cap, black and white cheek, and limited black in the throat. Males and females are similar. Typically found in noisy small flocks, often in more natural areas than concrete-loving House Sparrow; calls are often higher-pitched than those of House Sparrow, and has a slightly slower chatter. Feeds on seeds. Introduced to a small region in the central U.S. and southeast Australia.
Woodpecker Finch
Camarhynchus pallidus
A drab Galápagos finch with a stretched-out-looking bill. It has tan upperparts and pale whitish or yellowish underparts that may have a small amount of streaking. A small number of birds on San Cristóbal have dark hoods. Stout and elongated bill is pure black on breeding male, partly black on non-breeding male, and pale orange on female. Best identified by bill shape and behavior. It creeps along branches peering around for and probing into cavities, and it sometimes taps like a woodpecker. One of very few tool-using animals, it uses twigs and thorns to extract prey from holes in branches. Found on most islands but absent from Española, Genovesa, Marchena, Pinta, Darwin, and Wolf.
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