Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch Carpodacus pulcherrimus pulcherrimus occurs in foothills of Himalayas in southern Tibet, and argyrophrys in west-central and north-central China. ID & COMPARISON Very similar to Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch C. davidianus but is shorter-winged, with lighter pink coloring in male. Pink-rumped Rosefinch C. waltoni is slightly smaller with slightly smaller bill and shorter tail, and male lacks buff-brown flanks. Male also similar to Chinese White-browed Rosefinch C. dubius and Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch C. thura, but those are larger and more uniformly brown on crown and upperparts, with less obvious streaking. Pink-browed Rosefinch C. rodochroa has brighter forehead. Female has less obvious streaking on rump than Pink-rumped, and may have more contrasting dark ear coverts and pale supercilium. Differences among female beautiful rosefinches beyond the scope of this guide. VOICE Calls reminiscent of chirp of sparrow; less metallic than Chinese. — Craig Brelsford
THE ROSEFINCHES OF CHINA
shanghaibirding.com covers all species in the genus Carpodacus in China. Click any link:
Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus
Scarlet Finch C. sipahi
Streaked Rosefinch C. rubicilloides
Great Rosefinch C. rubicilla
Red-mantled Rosefinch C. rhodochlamys
Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch C. pulcherrimus
Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch C. davidianus
Pink-rumped Rosefinch C. waltoni
Pink-browed Rosefinch C. rodochroa
Dark-rumped Rosefinch C. edwardsii
Spot-winged Rosefinch C. rodopeplus
Sharpe’s Rosefinch C. verreauxii
Vinaceous Rosefinch C. vinaceus
Pale Rosefinch C. synoicus
Tibetan Rosefinch C. roborowskii
Sillem’s Rosefinch C. sillemi
Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinch C. sibiricus
Chinese Long-tailed Rosefinch C. lepidus
Pallas’s Rosefinch C. roseus
Three-banded Rosefinch C. trifasciatus
Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch C. thura
Chinese White-browed Rosefinch C. dubius
Red-fronted Rosefinch C. puniceus
Crimson-browed Finch C. subhimachalus
See also:
Taiwan Rosefinch Carpodacus formosanus
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Daniel Bengtsson served as chief ornithological consultant for Craig Brelsford’s Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of China, from which this species description is drawn.
