Chinese white-browed rosefinch
The Chinese white-browed rosefinch is a true finch species.
It is found in central China and eastern Tibet. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate shrubland.
This species was at one time considered as a subspecies of the Himalayan white-browed rosefinch but was up-ranked to species status. This was supported by a phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences.
Description
The Chinese white-browed rosefinch has an average size between 9 and 25 cm in length. The male has a face and underside bright pink. The female is brown streaked all over with paler underparts. The beak is short and conical.Habitat and behavior
The Chinese white-browed rosefinch lives in central China and eastern Tibet. This species inhabits temperate forests, temperate shrublands, semi-open scrub, forests and forest edges at about 3000–4800 meters.It usually hibernates in hilly, scrubby habitats, sometimes at lower elevations. The Chinese white-browed rosefinch is adapted to a granivorous diet, feeding on the ground in small groups.
It often emits a rapid series of nasal bleats.
Reproduction
The nest is usually situated in a bush. It is a cup of twigs, grasses, mosses and shreds of birch bark lined internally with very fine grasses and hairs. It generally contains between 4 and 6 eggs.Subspecies
C. d. deserticolor: western China ;C. d. dubius: western China ;
C. d. femininus: south-east Tibet to south-west China.