Scarlet Finch Carpodacus sipahi Scientific name definitions

18–19 cm; 38–42·5 g. Medium-sized to large, large-billed and thickset finch with short wings and tail. Male has entire head, upperparts and underparts bright scarlet, lower forehead and lores slightly dusky; tail black, outer feathers finely edged bright scarlet at bases; upperwing black with edged bright scarlet edging, fine on remiges, broadly on tertials, broad edges and tips of median and greater coverts also bright scarlet; undertail-coverts have broad blackish bases finely tipped red; iris deep brown, variable; upper mandible pinkish to crimson, tinged brown, lower mandible yellowish or pale buffish-horn; legs pinkish-brown. Female has forehead to crown and nape dull olive-yellow, mottled or barred darker olive to olive-brown; upperparts dull olive, tinged paler green or olive-yellow on mantle, all feathers with fine black shaft streaks and dull greenish-olive fringes, giving scaly look, rump bright yellow, uppertail-coverts olive with yellowish fringes; tail dark brown, outer feathers finely edged olive at bases; upperwing blackish with olive fringes, median and greater coverts edged olive and broadly tipped pale buff, flight-feathers edged brownish, tertials broadly fringed pale buff-brown; lores and cheek pale yellowish-buff, ear-coverts darker or olive, streaked buffish; underparts pale grey or whitish, heavily barred or mottled darker and with blackish streaks or chevrons; bare parts much as for male. Juvenile and first-winter female resemble adult female; first-summer male has warm rufous or light orange tinge on crown, throat and breast, orange rump patch and warm orange-buff edges of flight-feathers; subadult male brightest scarlet, fading with age, but may retain olive-yellow edges of flight-feathers.

Uttarakhand, and C Nepal E to Bhutan and NE India (E Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam S to Meghalaya and Lushai Hills), SE Tibet and W & S Yunnan (China), and W & NE Myanmar; in winter also NW Thailand, N Laos and NW Vietnam (W Tonkin).

Variety of seeds , buds, berries, and occasionally small insects. Plants exploited include raspberry (Rubus idaeus), roseleaf bramble (Rubus rosifolius), Erythrina indica, nettle (Urtica), Polygonum, several species of Euphorbiaceae, and elm (Ulmus). Forages high in trees, where often perches conspicuously at end of dead branch; also low down in bushes, shrubs and on ground. Singly, in pairs and in scattered flocks of up to 40 individuals; in non-breeding season often in single-sex flocks.