Sillem's Rosefinch Carpodacus sillemi Scientific name definitions

15 cm. Previously known only from two specimens (adult male  and juvenile male  ) (1 Roselaar, C.S. (1992). A new species of mountain finch Leucosticte from western Tibet. Bull. Oriental Bird Club 112: 225-231. Close ), but photographs published in 2012 seem to correspond to an adult male and an adult female (2 Kazmierczak, K. and Muzika, Y. (2012). A preliminary report on the apparent rediscovery of Sillem's Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi. BirdingASIA. 18: 17–20. Close ). Medium-sized to large grey or grey-brown finch. Male has head  and neck bright tawny-cinnamon, or slightly paler on lower neck, with pale buff around base of bill  ; upperparts  drab grey, feathers tipped buff in worn plumage, rump and uppertail-coverts isabelline-white or washed greyish; tail dark drab grey, narrowly fringed pale pinkish-buff in fresh plumage (fringes white when worn); upperwing-coverts like upperparts, bases of inner webs of greater coverts and tertials sometimes darker, outer edges of greater coverts washed pale pinkish-cinnamon; primary coverts and alula dark drab grey, tipped blackish, flight-feathers also dark drab grey, outer webs narrowly fringed paler grey, tips of secondaries and inner primaries off-white; chin to breast and side of breast pale cinnamon-buff, rest of underparts white  with pale yellowish-buff wash, heaviest on flanks; underwing-coverts and axillaries white; bare parts undescribed. Differs  from male <em>L. brandti</em> (of race pallidior) in tawny-cinnamon head and neck lacking black on forehead and sooty grey on sides, in unstreaked lower mantle and scapulars, off-white (not drab grey) rump and uppertail-coverts lacking pink fringes, drab grey (not blackish) tail, primary coverts and flight-feathers, greatly reduced pale grey (not strongly contrastingly white) fringes in wing, buff (not drab grey) chin to breast and off-white (not drab grey) belly, differs also in wing and tail ratio. Photographs of presumed female show similar pale ground colours and many streaks in upperparts and breast, as well as a yellow bill  (2 Kazmierczak, K. and Muzika, Y. (2012). A preliminary report on the apparent rediscovery of Sillem's Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi. BirdingASIA. 18: 17–20. Close ). Juvenile male has upperparts heavily streaked pinkish-buff and dark grey-brown, rump less heavily streaked pale buff and grey-brown, uppertail-coverts uniformly drab grey with slight darker streaking, tail as on adult male, lesser and median upperwing-coverts drab grey with pale cinnamon-grey tips, rest of wing as on adult, sides of head and neck mottled off-white or pale buff and grey-brown, chin white, throat to breast  and upper flanks white with broad and poorly defined grey-brown shaft streaks, rest of underparts as on adult.

Kunlun Shan in SW Xinjiang and, recently discovered, W Qinghai (Yenlugou Valley) (5 Kazmierczak, K. and Muzika, Y. (2012). A preliminary report on the apparent rediscovery of Sillem’s Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi. BirdingASIA 18: 17–20. Close ), in SW China; but presumably also occurs very locally between the two (6 Muzika, Y. (2014). Sillem’s Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi revisited. BirdingASIA 21: 28–33. Close ).

Little information; specimens collected at 5125 m and photographs taken at 5000 m on high barren montane plateaus (2 Kazmierczak, K. and Muzika, Y. (2012). A preliminary report on the apparent rediscovery of Sillem's Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi. BirdingASIA. 18: 17–20. Close , 7 Muzika, Y. (2014). Sillem's Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi revisited. BirdingASIA. 21: 28–33. Close ).

No information. Presumed resident, as adult collected was in full moult in Sept (1 Roselaar, C.S. (1992). A new species of mountain finch Leucosticte from western Tibet. Bull. Oriental Bird Club 112: 225-231. Close ).

Recorded feeding on fresh leaves and stems of the cushion plant Androsace tapete (7 Muzika, Y. (2014). Sillem's Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi revisited. BirdingASIA. 21: 28–33. Close ). No further information.

No information. Presumed to breed between mid-Jun and Aug, as in other high-elevation passerines of the Tibetan plateau (7 Muzika, Y. (2014). Sillem's Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi revisited. BirdingASIA. 21: 28–33. Close ).

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Data Deficient. Restricted range species: present in Southern Xinjiang Mountains Secondary Area. Until recently unknown in the wild. Described in 1992 from two specimens (adult male and juvenile male) collected in early Sept 1929 (1 Roselaar, C.S. (1992). A new species of mountain finch Leucosticte from western Tibet. Bull. Oriental Bird Club 112: 225-231. Close ), both on a barren plateau between upper R Kara Kash and upper R Yarkand, in extreme SW Xinjiang (in an area under Chinese administration, but also claimed by India). The juvenile's wings were not yet fully grown, and the collector considered that the birds had bred close either to where they were taken or on nearby peaks in Kunlun Shan. Rediscovered in Jun 2012 at Yeniugou Valley, in remote W Qinghai, China, at an altitude of 5000 m, over 1500 km to the east of the previously known locality (2 Kazmierczak, K. and Muzika, Y. (2012). A preliminary report on the apparent rediscovery of Sillem's Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi. BirdingASIA. 18: 17–20. Close ); more individuals seen and photographed (including the first record of a presumed female) at the same spot in May 2013 (7 Muzika, Y. (2014). Sillem's Mountain Finch Leucosticte sillemi revisited. BirdingASIA. 21: 28–33. Close ). Species presumably localized and scarce, although it is unlikely that any threats exist in the remote area where it is found. However, there is currently insufficient information on range, population size, basic biology and potential threats to permit a robust assessment of its conservation status; it is therefore listed as Data Deficient.