Tibetan Snowfinch Montifringilla henrici, also known as Henri’s Snowfinch, is resident eastern Tibetan Plateau from Qinghai Lake to central and eastern Tibet and western Sichuan. HABITAT & BEHAVIOR Breeds on rocky, barren ground and in alpine meadows from above timberline to snowline, to 4600 m (15,090 ft.). Hops and runs quickly; flies powerfully. ID & COMPARISON Long-winged, long-tailed, with large white patch on otherwise brownish-black wing. Earth-brown above, mainly unstreaked on head and neck. Blackish streaking on mantle and back. Small, sometimes diffuse black bib, bounded by white submustachial stripe. Black lores and white supercilium. On folded wing, white patch appears as long panel, but in flight white patch predominates over black parts of outstretched wings. Rump and uppertail coverts black at center, white at sides. Tail mainly white, with two black central tail feathers and black tips to all rectrices. Underparts greyish-white, flanks dark-brown. Female duller and has smaller, less distinct bib. Juvenile has more uniform brownish head and upperparts. Black-winged Snowfinch M. adamsi has paler, less contrasting grey-brown head and less white on wing. Very similar White-winged Snowfinch M. nivalis groumgrzimaili and M. n. kwenlunensis are paler overall and have upperparts more sandy-brown, head more uniformly grey, and faint or absent white submoustachial stripe and supercilium. Other snowfinches readily identifiable by different head, wing, and rump pattern. BARE PARTS Bill horn in non-breeding, breeding black with basal half of lower mandible yellow. Iris brown, feet black. VOICE Abrupt, nasal calls. Flocks twitter constantly. — Craig Brelsford
THE OLD WORLD SPARROWS OF CHINA
shanghaibirding.com has research on most of the 13 species in the family Passeridae in China. Click any link:
Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia
White-rumped Snowfinch Onychostruthus taczanowskii
Tibetan Snowfinch Montifringilla henrici
White-winged Snowfinch M. nivalis
Black-winged Snowfinch M. adamsi
Rufous-necked Snowfinch Pyrgilauda ruficollis
Pere David’s Snowfinch P. davidiana
Blanford’s Snowfinch P. blanfordi
Russet Sparrow Passer cinnamomeus
Eurasian Tree Sparrow P. montanus
Saxaul Sparrow P. ammodendri
Spanish Sparrow P. hispaniolensis
House Sparrow P. domesticus
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.
