Common Rosefinch

Carpodacus erythrinus (Pallas, 1770)

13–15 cmLength26 cmWingspan24 gWeight

The adult male has a bright red head, breast and rump, while the female is brownish with dark streaks.

Busiest months: May · Most records: India, China, Poland

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Adult male: head, breast and rump bright red
Bill stout and conical
Wings dark brown with two indistinct wing patches
Adult male: belly white

Male, female and young

The female and young male are dull, with yellowish-brown upperparts, a brighter rump, grayish head and pale yellowish-brown underparts.

Where and when it's recorded

Common Rosefinch has been recorded at 1,131 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 69 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia693 records
Aras Kuş Halkalama İstasyonuTürkiye550 records
Hel – CypelPoland509 records

More places

SattalIndia425 records
Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi Lang (W), AKA Doi San JuThailand375 records
Fair IsleUnited Kingdom360 records
Okhla Bird SanctuaryIndia345 records
Hel – Military Beach & OczyszczalniaPoland334 records
Espoo – Laajalahti MaariFinland308 records
Khurkh Bird Ringing Station, Khentii, MNMongolia303 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India China Poland Thailand Finland Russia Mongolia United Kingdom

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 common rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) or scarlet rosefinch is the most widespread and common rosefinch of Asia and Europe.

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

Questions

How big is the Common Rosefinch?

The Common Rosefinch is about 13–15 cm long, with a wingspan of 26 cm and weighs around 24 g.

Where does the Common Rosefinch live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: subarctic to temperate Palearctic in forest to scrub, montane in central, southern: southern, eastern Scandinavia and northwestern Europe (except British Isles) through northern subarctic Russia to western Chukotskiy Peninsula and Kamchatka (eastern Russia); in south through northern France, Switzerland, Slovenia to Bulgaria, northern Turkey and the Caucasus, northern Iran, central, southern Afghanistan north to the Altai and south through Himalayas to northwestern Yunnan, Shaanxi and western Guizhou (north-central, south-central China). It is most often recorded in India, China and Poland.

When is the best time to see the Common Rosefinch?

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

Is the Common Rosefinch endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Rosefinch as Least Concern.

What does the Common Rosefinch eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Common Rosefinch in?

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

At a glance

Length: 13–15 cm
Wingspan: 26 cm
Weight: 24 g
Habitat: Shrubland
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 80 mm
Tail: 59 mm
Bill: 12 mm
Tarsus: 16 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: subarctic to temperate Palearctic in forest to scrub, montane in central, southern: southern, eastern Scandinavia and northwestern Europe (except British Isles) through northern subarctic Russia to western Chukotskiy Peninsula and Kamchatka (eastern Russia); in south through northern France, Switzerland, Slovenia to Bulgaria, northern Turkey and the Caucasus, northern Iran, central, southern Afghanistan north to the Altai and south through Himalayas to northwestern Yunnan, Shaanxi and western Guizhou (north-central, south-central China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 3

Carpodacus erythrinus grebnitskii e Siberia, n Mongolia, ne China and Korea | non-breeding: to Thailand and Vietnam
Carpodacus erythrinus ferghanensis e Kazakhstan to w China, w Himalayas, Pakistan and Afghanistan | non-breeding: nw India
Carpodacus erythrinus roseatus c, e Himalayas to c, s China | non-breeding: se Asia