Mongolian Finch Bucanetes mongolicus Scientific name definitions

14–15 cm; 18–26 g. Medium-sized, stocky, large-headed and blunt-billed , long-winged pale finch with notched tail. Male has forehead to nape pale grey-brown, streaked finely darker (may show pink tinge on side of forehead), side of neck pale buffish-brown or buffish-sandy; upperparts like nape or slightly greyer, and indistinctly streaked darker, rump pale sand-brown, tinged pink, uppertail-coverts sand-brown, tipped grey-brown; lores dull buff to sandy, paler narrow supercilium fading over light sandy-brown ear-coverts; narrow pale buff or greyish-white eyering; cheek to sides of chin and upper throat pale sandy, washed pink; tail black or blackish-brown, broadly edged whitish on outer feathers; median upperwing-coverts like scapulars, tipped pale pink, greater coverts blackish, broadly edged whitish or deep pink on outers, alula, primary coverts and flight-feathers black, edged pale pink on primary coverts and primaries and whitish on inner secondaries (forming contrasting pale panel on closed wing ), primaries finely tipped pale or whitish-buff, tertials dark brown, edged whitish; below , deep rose-pink (fresh plumage) on side of breast and flanks, whitish on belly to undertail-coverts; in worn plumage (late summer), paler and more uniformly grey-brown, with less pink on rump and in wing (cheek and supercilium pale pinkish), bases of flight-feathers buffish-brown and fringes of tail whiter, side of breast and flanks pale grey with pink or pale pink wash; iris dark brown or black; bill greyish-yellow, paler base of lower mandible; legs brown or pale brown. Female is like late-summer male, but more uniformly buffish-brown on upperparts to rump and uppertail-coverts, greater coverts edged white at base, tipped light pink, secondaries edged pale or whitish-buff and edges of primaries narrowly pale pink; may show faint tinge of pink on lores to cheek; underparts pale whitish-grey, often washed or finely streaked sandy-buff on flanks; bill pale yellow. Juvenile is browner or more sandy brown than female and lacks pink, lightly streaked browner on crown, nape and upperparts, upperwing-coverts fringed bright sandy brown and flight-feathers edged pale buff-brown to whitish-buff (often forming short pale wingbar on closed wing), tips of flight-feathers fringed sandy or pale sandy buff, tertials broadly edged pale brown and tipped paler, underparts buff-brown, paler on belly to undertail, bill brown or dull yellowish-brown.

Montane and submontane, arid, desolate and semi-desert areas with slopes, cliffs, screes, ravines and steep valleys, also open stony, sandy areas with grassy patches or low scrub (e.g. Caragana), occasionally on edge of alpine meadows and cultivated fields; at 500–2000 m in Kazakhstan and 800–2700 m in E Turkey, above 2900 m in Afghanistan, at 2750–3350 m in N Pakistan, 4000–4500 m in Ladakh, and up to 4200 m in N & NW China. In non-breeding season found in similar habitat at lower altitude, at 1500–3000 m in N Pakistan.

Mostly small seeds, also buds and shoots, including those of Agriophyllum gobicum, Krascheninnikova ceratoides, saltwort (Salsola), wormwood (Artemisia maritima), grasses (Gramineae) and sedges (Carex). Nestling diet mostly green seeds. Forages on ground , around or beneath low vegetation, usually hopping in horizontal position; picks seeds from bent-over seedheads and extracts seeds from cattle dung. Tame and often confiding. Singly, in pairs and in small flocks; in non-breeding season and early summer more social, and occurs in larger groups of up to 50 individuals, exceptionally in larger numbers (to c. 1000), often in same-age or single-sex flocks. Makes regular dawn and dusk flights over some distance in search of water; often forages at good distance from nest-site.

Song , usually only through breeding season (including occasionally at night), from ground or top of boulder, also in flight, a slow rising and falling "do-mi-sol-mi" or "towit-too whit-tu-tu-churrrh" or "whi-whi-churrrh", with various phrases repeated and interspersed with occasional chirps; several males sing together from perch. Otherwise usually silent (especially in winter), but has soft nasal "dju-vud", "djuduvu", "witjwit" or "chilk-chik"; foraging flocks give constant twittering "t'yuk-t'yuk-t'yuk-t'yuk".

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Scarce to locally common. Known population in E Turkey small, numbering merely c. 25 pairs, but extent not fully determined, and in 1999 found breeding in E Pontic Mts; has also bred (and may do so infrequently) in Armenia. First recorded breeding in E Turkey and Caucasus in late 1970s, although possibly present from early years of 20th century; recorded on Turkey-Armenia border in early 20th century.