Desert Finch

Rhodospiza obsoleta (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)

≈16 cmLength26 cmWingspan26 gWeight

This large brown finch has a single rose-pink band on each wing.

Busiest months: May · Most records: Israel, Kazakhstan, China

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

A single rose-pink band on each wing
Bill stout and black
Flight feathers and tail feathers black-and-white
Mainly brown overall

Male, female and young

Female has darker plumage than the male; otherwise sexes similar.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: Israel, Kazakhstan, China

Desert Finch has been recorded at 75 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 15 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Beer-Sheva Park==Israel544 records
Kfar Ruppin fishpondsIsrael295 records
Yeruham LakeIsrael191 records

More places

International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE)Israel80 records
KanshengelKazakhstan75 records
Tehran – Police Park (North)Iran39 records
Taukum DesertKazakhstan36 records
Azraq Wetland ReserveJordan35 records
BeishawoChina34 records
Tengiz – South Evaporation PondsKazakhstan26 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Israel Kazakhstan China Iran Uzbekistan Jordan Iraq Saudi Arabia

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 desert finch (Rhodospiza obsoleta), sometimes called Lichtenstein's desert finch, is a large brown true finch found in southern Eurasia. Its taxonomy is confused, and it has formerly been placed in Fringilla, Bucanetes, Carduelis and Rhodopechys.

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

Questions

How big is the Desert Finch?

The Desert Finch is about ≈16 cm long, with a wingspan of 26 cm and weighs around 26 g.

Where does the Desert Finch live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: temperate to subtropical south-central, central Palearctic in dry scrub, orchards, gardens: southeastern Turkey east through southern Kazakhstan, western, northern Xinjiang (northwestern China), far southwestern Mongolia to central Inner Mongolia (north-central China); in south to Sinai Peninsula, central Saudi Arabia, southeastern Iran, northern Afghanistan and north-central Pakistan. It is most often recorded in Israel, Kazakhstan and China.

When is the best time to see the Desert Finch?

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

Is the Desert Finch endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Desert Finch as Least Concern.

What does the Desert Finch eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Desert Finch in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈16 cm
Wingspan: 26 cm
Weight: 26 g
Habitat: Desert
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 86 mm
Tail: 66 mm
Bill: 12 mm
Tarsus: 17 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: temperate to subtropical south-central, central Palearctic in dry scrub, orchards, gardens: southeastern Turkey east through southern Kazakhstan, western, northern Xinjiang (northwestern China), far southwestern Mongolia to central Inner Mongolia (north-central China); in south to Sinai Peninsula, central Saudi Arabia, southeastern Iran, northern Afghanistan and north-central Pakistan

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2