Collared Grosbeak Mycerobas affinis Scientific name definitions

22–24 cm; male 69–72 g, one female 83 g. Large grosbeak with large head, massive bill and short, notched tail. Male has entire head to upper nape, upper side of neck and lower throat black, glossy on crown and face; nape to mantle and lower side of neck yellow, heavily tinged golden-brown, lower mantle and upper back black, broadly streaked yellow, lower back to lower rump deep yellow, tinged golden-brown, uppertail-coverts black; side of mantle to wing and tail black, scapulars and central tail feathers glossy, greater upperwing-coverts and tertials glossy; underparts bright deep yellow; iris reddish-brown to dark brown; bill pale bluish-green, grey or steely grey-blue; legs pale flesh-brown to reddish-brown. Female has head to nape, upper side of neck and lower throat (marginally to centre of upper breast) pale ashy grey, lores slightly darker grey; lower nape and upperparts pale greyish olive-green, sometimes slightly duller olive on mantle and scapulars and paler or brighter green on rump and uppertail-coverts; tail black or blackish-grey; median and greater upperwing-coverts fringed bright olive-green to golden-olive, rest of wing black, broadly edged bright olive-green on secondaries and outer edge of tertials; lower side of neck, side of breast and remaining underparts yellow, sometimes tinged olive-buff; bill as on male or paler green or greyish-green. Juvenile is like female, but much duller, rump more yellowish and centre of throat grey-brown; first-winter and first-summer males closer to adult, but black of head duller and streaked brownish or finely whitish, and yellow on upperparts and underparts paler or flecked with olive.

Himalayas from NW India (W Himachal Pradesh) E to N Myanmar, and C & S China (SW Gansu S to SE Tibet, W Sichuan and NE Yunnan); occasional migrant S to NW Thailand.

Variety of seeds, including those of pine (Pinus), also buds, shoots and fruit, including crab apples (Malus) and nuts; in summer takes small insects, larvae and snails (Gastropoda). Forages in upper canopy of trees and lower down in bushes, low vegetation or on the ground. Uses strong bill to extract pine seeds from cones. Forages in pairs and in small, loose or scattered groups; also in larger groups of up to 20 (exceptionally to c. 100) individuals in non-breeding season.

Song  a clear, loud and rising musical or piping whistle of 5–7 notes, "ti-di-li-ti-di-li-um", and a loud series of creaking notes interspersed with musical and bulbul-like (Pycnonotidae) notes, frequently repeated. Call a mellow but rapid "pip-pip-pip-pip-pip-pip-ugh"; alarm or anxiety call a sharp "kurr", often rapidly repeated as a double note.