Tibetan Rosefinch Carpodacus roborowskii Scientific name definitions

17–18 cm. Large, long-winged and short-legged rosefinch with domed head and thin, pointed bill. Male has forehead to crown and face deep red or crimson (may appear blackish), feathers finely tipped lighter red on side of head, cheek and ear-coverts; nape greyish-pink, upperparts grey or grey-brown, feathers tipped light crimson, more broadly tipped on mantle, back and scapulars (forming broadly barred or scaled pattern), rump and uppertail-coverts pale pink; tail dark brown, base of outer feathers finely edged pinkish; upperwing dark brown, median and greater coverts fringed light pink, tips of greaters whitish, primaries and outer secondaries finely edged light pink, inner secondaries and tertials edged pale buff or whitish; chin and throat black (merging with deep red on lower face) with fine white tips or spots, breast to belly and flanks pale pink with whiter feather bases, belly to undertail-coverts very pale pink; iris black; bill bright or pale yellow, tip dark horn; legs dark brown. Female has head pale buffish-brown, finely streaked darker on forehead to crown and face, cheek slightly paler buff, lores dark grey, sometimes a fairly indistinct buffish supercilium; upperparts like crown or slightly warmer brown or tawny-brown, heavily streaked dark brown, rump and uppertail-coverts unstreaked; tail dark brown, edged paler buff-brown or warm buff; upperwing dark brown, median and greater coverts edged paler buff-brown and finely tipped pale buff, secondaries edged pale brown, tertials more broadly edged pale buff-brown; chin and throat whitish, side of lower throat to breast warm buffish-brown, narrowly streaked dark brown, rest of underparts pale buff, streaked darker; bare parts much as for male. Juvenile only recently observed, two individuals, very like female, but bill horn-yellow, one with darker face and more ochreous general coloration (even slightly pinkish on back) probably young male.

C & SW Qinghai and NE Tibet.

Desolate, montane rocky steppes, barren alpine meadows of argillate-slate mountains and stony plateaux and glacier edges, at 4500–5400 m. Usually in areas shunned by all other species, but occasionally forages in same habitat as Black-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla adamsi) and Leucosticte brandti.

Resident; in non-breeding season may move to lower altitude during prolonged periods of extremely severe weather.

Diet little known; seeds and fragments of alpine grasses and flowers, including lousewort (Pedicularis), recorded as taken. Forages on the ground among sparse vegetation; hops and shuffles on ground. Singly, in pairs and in small family groups.

Generally silent, but has short and plaintive whistle, often given as a longer trill.

A nest in Qinghai was in crevice among boulders on a rocky slope at an altitude of 4650 m, and contained 5 eggs in late Jul; nest was constructed entirely from plant stems, mainly grasses; eggs, pale blue evenly but sparsely flecked with small red-brown and purple markings; during observation from 13:00–14:40 h all incubation was undertaken by the female alone, being fed by the male three times at or near the nest site externallink. Also, female with two fledglings seen towards end Aug. Male, on seeing a female with grass blades in bill, immediately flew and landed near her, ran along ground and gathered tuft of rootlets, partly opened wings, then suddenly flew to a position in front of watching female , and, still holding rootlets in bill, advanced towards her, his wings opened and backswept and tail slightly raised, showing his pink rump and belly, finally stopping in same posture but in centre of small patch of snow, which provided different contrast with his plumage colours; no vocalizations heard. Both young fledglings closely followed parent and copied her feeding actions, pecking at same types of foodplant (fragments of alpine herbs). No other information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Restricted range species: present in Northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Secondary Area. Poorly known. Probably locally not uncommon, but inhabits terrain that is difficult to survey. Was previously thought to be rare, but in 1990s and, especially, since 2000 found to be present in small numbers at several localities, notably Er La Pass (C Qinghai).