Chinese Long-tailed RosefinchC. l. lepidus, female, Shanxi, December. (Craig Brelsford)
Siberian Long-tailed RosefinchCarpodacus sibiricus ranges across much of southern Siberia, Mongolia, and northern and central China, with sibiricus breeding northwest Xinjiang and northwest Inner Mongolia and wintering Xinjiang and north-central China; and ussuriensis breeding Heilongjiang and Jilin and wintering Liaoning west to southern Gansu. Chinese Long-tailed RosefinchC. lepidus lepidus is resident from eastern Tibet to southwest Shanxi, and C. l. henrici is resident northern Sichuan to southeast Tibet and western Yunnan. HABITAT Mountains to 3400 m (11,160 ft.); also lowlands. In forests with undergrowth, grasslands, and wetlands with reeds and tall vegetation; also agricultural land and city parks with bushes and trees. Locally common; can be tame. ID & COMPARISON Breeding male sibiricus has lower forehead, lores and base of bill deep crimson, continuing as eyeline that joins crimson half-collar at neck sides; cheek and ear coverts to throat pink with white frosting. Crown center and nape grey with faint streaking, partly obscured by pink-white forecrown and supercilium; pale-crowned individuals may appear almost white-headed. Upperparts pinkish-red with black streaks and grey fringing, lower back and rump unstreaked deep pink, and tail black with fine white fringing. Underparts pale pink, grading to white on undertail coverts. Wing mainly black, with white tips to greater and median coverts forming two broad wingbars. Prominent white fringing on otherwise black tertials; white edges to flight feathers forming wing panel. Winter male much duller. Female lacks pink in plumage and is buffish to grey-brown above, with light black streaking on cheeks and crown and bolder streaking on mantle. Underparts mainly buffish-brown with black streaking heaviest on flanks; belly almost white. Wing and tail pattern like male. Juvenile similar to female. Male ussuriensis darker and pinker, lepidus darker still; female henrici more heavily streaked than other races. Shorter tails on lepidus and henrici. Combination of tail length, wing and tail pattern diagnostic. BARE PARTS Stubby grey-horn bill; brown feet. VOICE Rapid, rolling, musical trill, repeated with pauses of about 4 seconds. Sharp, whistling alarm call: pink-pink-pink. — Craig Brelsford
THE ROSEFINCHES OF CHINA
shanghaibirding.com covers all species in the genus Carpodacus in China. Click any link:
Xuanzhong Temple in Shanxi is the best-known place in the world to view Brown Eared PheasantCrossoptilon mantchuricum. A recent visit by British birder Mark Havenhand (see comment below) stimulated me to update my report about my trip to Xuanzhong. Have you been to Xuanzhong? Help birders by leaving a comment below. — Craig Brelsford
I went to Xuanzhong Temple in December and January to photograph Brown Eared PheasantCrossoptilon mantchuricum.
The temple in central Shanxi, China sits in a gorge at an elevation of 1000 m (3,280 ft.). The hills are covered with trees that the locals call baishu (cypress). The setting is picturesque.
The air was bitterly cold; as low as -20°C (-4°F). Bright sunshine made the days cheerful. The temple flock of Brown Eared Pheasant appeared every day.
Elaine Du and I caught an 8 a.m. flight from Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai to Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi. From Taiyuan Airport, we drove our rental car west about an hour through Jiaocheng to Xuanzhong Temple (37.563877, 112.078460).
In the following days I noted other taxa representative of north-central China: Chinese NuthatchSitta villosa villosa, Eurasian NuthatchS. europaea sinensis, Songar TitPoecile montanus stoetzneri, Coal TitPeriparus ater pekinensis, and Beijing BabblerRhopophilus pekinensis.
Many birders balk at ticking semi-wild birds, but if you want an easy tick of Brown Eared Pheasant, then Xuanzhong Temple is the place to go. Note that both Mark Havenhand and I had wild Brown Eared Pheasant far from the temple on the road between Xuanzhong and Jiaocheng.
MAP AND PHOTOS
Xuanzhong Temple (37.563877, 112.078460) is in central Shanxi province (red) in north-central China. The site is 1120 km (690 mi.) northwest of Shanghai. I visited the site in December and January 2012–13. (Wikipedia/Craig Brelsford)Xuanzhong Temple dates from the 400s. Like many Buddhist temples in China, Xuanzhong serves as a sanctuary for wild birds. Xuanzhong is the best-known place in the world for viewing Brown Eared Pheasant. (Craig Brelsford)Main viewing area for Brown Eared Pheasant. Xuanzhong Temple lies in a gorge in the foothills of the Lüliang Mountains. The elevation is 1000 m (3,280 ft.). (Craig Brelsford)Road leading from Jiaocheng to Xuanzhong Temple. For views of Brown Eared Pheasant in a more wild setting, drive or walk this road. Here both Mark Havenhand (comment below) and I noted wild Brown Eared Pheasant, along with numerous other species. (Craig Brelsford)Birders visit Xuanzhong Temple to view semi-wild flocks of Brown Eared PheasantCrossoptilon mantchuricum. The species is endemic to north China. Xuanzhong Temple is at the center of its range, which covers the Lüliang Mountains of Shanxi plus adjacent Hebei and Shaanxi. (Craig Brelsford)Brown Eared Pheasant is listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable. ‘Its range,’ the IUCN writes, ‘has been fragmented by habitat loss, and isolated populations are at risk from further forest loss and other pressures. Outside nature reserves, the threats include deforestation for agriculture and urban development, and habitat degradation due to logging and livestock-grazing.’ About 17,000 Brown Eared Pheasant are thought to exist (BirdLife International 2016). (Craig Brelsford)The pheasants show little fear of man. I was able to achieve intimate closeups such as this …… and this. (Craig Brelsford)A man feeds Brown Eared Pheasant. We daily saw local people hand-feeding the pheasants and setting out maize for them. Some birders balk at viewing semi-wild birds, but Xuanzhong offers guaranteed views of a species hard to find elsewhere. (Craig Brelsford)Brown Eared Pheasant perches on a cypress branch. The pheasants are semi-wild. They range freely, retiring at night to the hills and each morning gliding dramatically down to the floor of the gorge. (Craig Brelsford)Brown Eared Pheasant likely has been present at Xuanzhong for hundreds of years. (Craig Brelsford)Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus fly in front of Brown Eared Pheasant. (Craig Brelsford)Brown Eared Pheasant exercising its wings. (Craig Brelsford)Brown Eared Pheasant dancing. (Craig Brelsford)If not for the pheasants, few birders would visit Xuanzhong Temple. The temple does however offer a sampling of the birds of north central China. Here is Chinese Long-tailed RosefinchCarpodacus lepidus lepidus, male. (Craig Brelsford)Chinese Long-tailed Rosefinch, female. (Craig Brelsford)Coal TitPeriparus ater pekinensis. This race shows a short crest. P. a. pekinensis ranges from southern Liaoning to Shanxi, Hebei, and Shandong. (Craig Brelsford)Songar Tit Poecile montanus stoetzneri, currently classified as a race of Willow Tit. (Craig Brelsford)Chinese NuthatchSitta villosa is a small nuthatch with a prominent white supercilium and patchy black eye-stripe. The nominate race is found in Hebei, Beijing, and Shanxi. (Craig Brelsford)Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea sinensis. This subspecies is characterized by its reddish-brown underparts. In the bitter cold, the nuthatch was inspecting the smallest cracks in the bark for its food. (Craig Brelsford)Beijing Babbler Rhopophilus pekinensis foraging in the snow. (Craig Brelsford)The aptly named Plain LaughingthrushPterorhinus davidi. (Craig Brelsford)Red-billed Blue MagpieUrocissa erythroryncha brevivexilla. (Craig Brelsford)Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus on the road to the temple. (Craig Brelsford)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BirdLife International 2016. Crossoptilon mantchuricum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22679299A92809690. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679299A92809690.en. (Accessed: 26 March 2024)
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