Brandt's Mountain Finch

Leucosticte brandti Bonaparte, 1850

≈18 cmLength30 gWeight

This finch often frequents meadow-steppe and grassy slopes in cold, high mountains.

Busiest months: June · Most records: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: June · Most records: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan

Brandt's Mountain Finch has been recorded at 63 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Balang Shan [General Area]China109 records
Balang Shan PassChina102 records
E'La Mountain PassChina101 records

More places

GangshikaChina30 records
Wild Yak GorgeChina20 records
Balang Shan – SummitChina20 records
Mt. Everest [Qomolangma] – North Base CampChina19 records
Balang Shan – Tunnel AreaChina19 records
Ile-Alatau NP – Kosmos StationKazakhstan11 records
Mt. KailashChina11 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Mongolia Nepal

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

Brandt's mountain finch (Leucosticte brandti), also known as the black-headed mountain-finch, is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae.

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

Questions

How big is the Brandt's Mountain Finch?

The Brandt's Mountain Finch is about ≈18 cm long and weighs around 30 g.

Where does the Brandt's Mountain Finch live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: central, south-central Palearctic from Tienshan to Altai and Himalayas in barren high-alpine zone: eastern Kazakhstan northeast to Altay and Tuva regions (south-central Russia), western, northwestern Xinjiang (northwestern China) and northern, western Mongolia; in south through northeastern Afghanistan, eastern in Karakorum, southern, central, eastern Tibet and Inner Himalayas to far northern Myanmar, northeast to northern Qinghai and northwestern Gansu (north-central China). It is most often recorded in China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

When is the best time to see the Brandt's Mountain Finch?

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

Is the Brandt's Mountain Finch endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Brandt's Mountain Finch as Least Concern.

What does the Brandt's Mountain Finch eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Brandt's Mountain Finch in?

It belongs to the family Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: ≈18 cm
Weight: 30 g
Habitat: Rocky terrain
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 117 mm
Tail: 77 mm
Bill: 14 mm
Tarsus: 21 mm

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

Range

Oriental: central, south-central Palearctic from Tienshan to Altai and Himalayas in barren high-alpine zone: eastern Kazakhstan northeast to Altay and Tuva regions (south-central Russia), western, northwestern Xinjiang (northwestern China) and northern, western Mongolia; in south through northeastern Afghanistan, eastern in Karakorum, southern, central, eastern Tibet and Inner Himalayas to far northern Myanmar, northeast to northern Qinghai and northwestern Gansu (north-central China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 7

Leucosticte brandti margaritacea ne Kazakhstan, s Siberia and nw China
Leucosticte brandti brandti Kyrgyzstan, se Kazakhstan and nw China
Leucosticte brandti pamirensis Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, ne Afghanistan and w China
Leucosticte brandti haematopygia Himalayas from n Pakistan to w, s Tibet and Bhutan
Leucosticte brandti pallidior wc China
Leucosticte brandti intermedia c China
Leucosticte brandti walteri e Tibet and sw China