Red-mantled Rosefinch Carpodacus rhodochlamys is mainly Central Asian species, occurring in China in the mountainous areas of northern and western Xinjiang. In conifer forests and alpine meadows, breeding to 2900 m. Male has pink-and-white supercilium that barely extends across forehead, reddish-brown crown and upperparts with blackish streaking, a pink face with pinkish-white speckling, and a reddish-brown eyestripe. Tail and wings mainly brownish-black with pinkish-red tips to median and greater coverts (but no obvious wingbar), and buff edging on tertials. Underparts pink, with faint streaking visible at close range. Similar to pink-browed and pink-rumped but larger, with stubbier bill and deeper pink breast (with some streaking). Female mainly pale greyish-brown above, creamy buff below, with black streaking almost throughout; no obvious supercilium or wingbar; slightly smaller than spotted great and very similar streaked rosefinch (no overlap?). Female spotted great is paler, less streaked (rump unstreaked), and has more uniform wingcoverts and tertials. Bill stout, grey-brown to horn (mostly lower mandible); legs pale brown. Call a plaintive, wheezy whistle, lasting less than a second and repeated at intervals of two-four seconds. — 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.
