Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch

Carpodacus pulcherrimus (Moore, F, 1856)

≈14 cmLength19 gWeight

This high-elevation rosefinch has a shorter, narrower supercilium and darker red underparts than Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch.

Busiest months: May · Most records: China, Bhutan, Mongolia

Looks like Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Tail shallowly forked
Supercilium shorter and narrower than in Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch
Red on the underparts darker than in Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch

Voice

The call is soft and somewhat resembles that of Long-tailed Tit.

Similar species

Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch

This species has a shallowly forked tail, a shorter, narrower supercilium and duller red underparts; its call is softer.

Where and when it's recorded

Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch has been recorded at 124 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Tharpaling MonasteryBhutan69 records
MengbishanChina61 records
Baxi ForestChina54 records

More places

Ura ValleyBhutan49 records
Balang Shan [General Area]China49 records
Shugseb NunneryChina39 records
Yolyn Am, Umnugobi, MNMongolia37 records
Baizha ForestChina36 records
Gonggangling PassChina35 records
Balang Shan PassChina31 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Bhutan 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

The Himalayan beautiful rosefinch (Carpodacus pulcherrimus) is a true finch species (family Fringillidae). It is found in mid-western China and the northern Himalayas. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.

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

Questions

How big is the Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch?

The Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch is about ≈14 cm long and weighs around 19 g.

Where does the Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch live?

Its breeding range: Oriental, Palearctic: Himalayas (Himachal Pradesh to Nepal, Bhutan and southeastern Tibet) and western China (Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and western Sichuan). It is most often recorded in China, Bhutan and Mongolia.

When is the best time to see the Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch?

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

Is the Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch as Least Concern.

What does the Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈14 cm
Weight: 19 g
Habitat: Shrubland
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 76 mm
Tail: 65 mm
Bill: 12 mm
Tarsus: 19 mm

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

Range

Oriental, Palearctic: Himalayas (Himachal Pradesh to Nepal, Bhutan and southeastern Tibet) and western China (Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and western Sichuan)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2

Carpodacus pulcherrimus pulcherrimus Himalayas (Himachal Pradesh to Nepal, Bhutan and se Tibet)
Carpodacus pulcherrimus argyrophrys w China (Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and w Sichuan)