Desert Finch
Rhodospiza obsoleta
This subtly handsome finch is unique in its range; warm sandy brown with bright pink and silver flashes in the wings. Sexes are similar, but the male boasts a restricted black mask extending from the front of the eye to the base of the stout charcoal-black bill, which the female lacks. Not restricted to deserts but generally does prefer dry, open areas in middle to high altitude regions. Frequents villages, towns, and even cities. Gives a tumbling series of random-sounding notes, usually with a rather hoarse, buzzy quality. Calls include “chip” and “chink” notes and buzzy wheezes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Rhodospiza obsoleta
- Authority
- (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Rhodospiza
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : temperate to subtropical sc, c Palearctic in dry scrub, orchards, gardens: se Turkey e through s Kazakhstan, w, n Xinjiang (nw China), far sw Mongolia to c Inner Mongolia (nc China); in s to Sinai Pen., c Saudi Arabia, se Iran, n Afghanistan and nc Pakistan
- Non-breeding range
- short-range southward movements
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Common Merganser
Mergus merganser
Large duck with a sleek body and thin red bill. Breeding males have a dark green head and mostly white body with peachy blush on underparts. Females and immature males have rusty brown head and gray bodies with a cleanly demarcated white throat. Feeds in rivers, lakes, and large ponds by diving to catch fish. Hardy in winter, often staying as far north as open water permits.
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
Merops leschenaulti
Beautiful, dainty bee-eater with a bright reddish head and yellow throat. Dark “necktie” most noticeable when in flight overhead. Inhabits forest edge, wooded clearings, and open areas with clusters of trees; often uses exposed perches. Some populations undertake regional movements, vacating breeding grounds after the monsoons pass. Often gives bright chirrupy calls.
Dusky Fulvetta
Schoeniparus brunneus
A small dark brown bird of the shaded understory and forest floor, found hilly forests. Brown overall; gray face is marked with a thin, curving black eyebrow and a weaker black moustachial stripe, though these marks are often hard to discern in the darkness of the thick growth in which it likes to forage. Song is a short but melodic warble; various calls, including a low churring note and a quick “whee-chuck.”
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