Black-winged Snowfinch

Montifringilla adamsi Adams, 1859

≈18 cmLength31 gWeight

The black-winged snowfinch or Adams's snowfinch (Montifringilla adamsi), is a species of bird in the sparrow family.

Busiest months: June–July · Most records: China

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Black-winged Snowfinch has been recorded at 46 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Rubber Mountain PassChina65 records
Yamdrok LakeChina18 records
E'La Mountain PassChina17 records

More places

Qinghai Lake – K11 hillChina16 records
GangshikaChina15 records
Temple of Princess WenchengChina14 records
Gahai LakeChina13 records
JieguChina11 records
Mt. Everest [Qomolangma] – North Base CampChina10 records
Mt. KailashChina7 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The black-winged snowfinch or Adams's snowfinch (Montifringilla adamsi), is a species of bird in the sparrow family.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Black-winged Snowfinch?

The Black-winged Snowfinch is about ≈18 cm long and weighs around 31 g.

Where does the Black-winged Snowfinch live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: south-central Palearctic in Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe near water, villages: Ladakh (northwestern India) through western Tibet, in south to northern Nepal and northern Sikkim; northeastern Qinghai, western Gansu south to eastern Tibet and south-central Sichuan. It is most often recorded in China.

When is the best time to see the Black-winged Snowfinch?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in June and July (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Black-winged Snowfinch endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-winged Snowfinch as Least Concern.

What does the Black-winged Snowfinch eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Black-winged Snowfinch in?

It belongs to the family Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: ≈18 cm
Weight: 31 g
Habitat: Desert
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 107 mm
Tail: 67 mm
Bill: 14 mm
Tarsus: 20 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: south-central Palearctic in Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe near water, villages: Ladakh (northwestern India) through western Tibet, in south to northern Nepal and northern Sikkim; northeastern Qinghai, western Gansu south to eastern Tibet and south-central Sichuan

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2