Alternative name: Brandt's Rosefinch, Black-headed Mountain Finch
- Leucosticte brandti
Identification
16·5–19 cm (6½-7½ in)
- Grey-black overall plumage
- Pointed bill
Distribution
Asia: found in Russia, Siberia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Bhutan
Taxonomy
Subspecies
This is a polytypic species which consists of five subspecies[1]:
- L. b. margaritacea:
- High barren plains of western Mongolia and south-eastern Altai
- L. b. brandti:
- Western Tien Shan Mountains to Kyrgystan and western China (western Xinjiang)
- L. b. pamirensis:
- Southern Kyrgystan to Pamir Mountains and north-eastern Afghanistan
- L. b. haematopygia:
- L. b. pallidior:
- Mountains of western China (south-western Xinjiang to north-eastern Qinghai)
Habitat
Open ground in mountainous regions, temperate grassland.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of the seeds of alpine plants.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Brandt's Mountain Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brandt%27s_Mountain_Finch
