Black-headed Greenfinch Chloris ambigua taylori
Etymology:
- Chloris : Greek word khloris – finch, greenfinch
- Ambigua / ambiguous: Latin word – ambiguus , doubtful
- Taylori : Dr Sir George Taylor (1904-1993) Scottish botanist
Distribution in India: Winters in far east Arunachal Pradesh (Walong)
Description: Size of 12·5–14 cm. It is a medium-sized, dark-headed finch with pale conical bill , bright yellow wing-flash and notched tail. The male has blackish-olive forehead to hindcrown, lores, cheek and ear-coverts, sometimes a narrow, indistinct paler supercilium. The nape to mantle and scapulars are dull olive-green, becoming paler or brighter on lower back. The rump is olive-green with yellow bases, uppertail-coverts are greyer; tail is black, outer feathers edged bright yellow forming short panel at side of base, central feathers narrowly edged pale grey; lesser and median upperwing-coverts as scapulars or paler yellowish-green, greater coverts are black or blackish, edged olive-green on outers and broadly tipped pale grey. The alula is black, finely edged pale yellow, primary coverts and flight-feathers are black, bases of primaries and outer secondaries are bright yellow, outer secondaries and inner primaries finely tipped off-white, tertials are black, broadly fringed grey or greyish-white. It is deep green or olive-green below, obscurely spotted or streaked yellow, uniformly yellow on undertail-coverts. The underwing-coverts are pale yellow; iris is black; bill is pale pinkish to brownish-pink, slightly darker tip; legs are pinkish or pale brown.
The female is very similar to male, but duller, head not so black, deep olive with darker flecking, dull olive below , flanks are pale buffish-brown.
The juvenile has forehead to nape pale buffish-yellow, mostly buff-brown face finely streaked darker on cheek and ear-coverts, upperparts are pale buff-brown, streaked darker, slightly paler brown on rump and uppertail-coverts, median and greater upperwing-coverts are dark brown, tipped pale buffish-brown, flight-feathers as for adult, underparts are pale buff-yellow, streaked dark brown or blackish, lower belly unstreaked whitish and undertail-coverts are pale yellow.
Race taylori is more sooty black on head and duller olive-green with brown tinge on mantle and back, rump green or pale green with yellowish feather bases, yellow below, becoming pale green on undertail-coverts, female like nominate, but may have pale buff or buffish-grey undertail-coverts.
Habitat: It is found in montane and submontane open conifer and deciduous woodlands and forest, also forest edges, clearings, alpine meadows and scrub on open hillsides and edges of cultivation. It is found at 1200–3100 m. In non-breeding season in similar habitat at slightly lower altitude, down to 1300 m in India.
Food Habits: It eats a variety of seeds. It forages in bushes, in low vegetation and on ground. It is found in pairs and in small family groups. In non-breeding season found often in large flocks, foraging in winter stubble and weedy fields
Breeding Habits: They breed in Jul–Oct. The nest is a neat cup placed on tree branch. Thy lay a clutch of 3–4 eggs. The eggs are pale greenish-blue, spotted sparingly with black.