Spectacled Finch    Callacanthis burtoni

Etymology: 

• Callacanthis : kallos- beauty; akanthis –small unidentified bird

• Burtoni : Named after English Naturalist Surgeon-Maj. Edward Burton (1790–1867) 

Distribution in India: Resident of Himalayas in North India.

Description: Size 17–18 cm. It is a large finch with large conical bill, distinctive face pattern and deeply notched tail. The Male has scarlet on forehead and lores and patch around and behind eye s, often paler rosy pink below eye (on some, red continues to side of nape). It has black on crown to nape, ear-coverts, cheek and moustachial area. The neck is usually tawny-brown; upperparts are greyish-olive, feathers are broadly fringed reddish-brown, paler cinnamon-brown on rump and uppertail-coverts. The tail is black, tipped white, amount of white increasing outwards, forming wedge-shaped spot on outermost rectrix. The upperwing-coverts are jet-black, broadly tipped pinkish-white on greater coverts, alula has white spot at tip of lower feather, primary coverts are broadly tipped white, flight-feathers are jet-black, broadly tipped white, tertials are broadly tipped pinkish-white. The chin is finely spotted blackish, throat is scarlet, tipped blackish, becoming cinnamon with pinkish-red feather fringes on breast and brown on belly and flanks. The undertail-coverts are pale buffish-brown; iris is dark brown; bill is yellow, dusky brown or black tip and lower mandible has orange-brown to the base in breeding season. The legs are pinkish or flesh-brown.

The female has crown to nape and face to side of neck dusky brown or blackish, streaked paler. It has pale yellow or orange-yellow on lower forehead to broadly around eye, upperparts to uppertail-coverts are olive, tinged grey, tail as on male but blackish-brown, upperwing is black, lesser coverts like scapulars, median coverts are broadly fringed paler, greater coverts and primary coverts are tipped white less broadly than on male. It is pale grey-brown below, spotted blackish on chin and throat and yellowish on lower throat and breast; bill is paler than male’s, and legs are yellowish-brown.

The juvenile is similar to female, but browner, head pattern is less distinct, initially uniformly brown, becoming pale buff around eye, upperparts are grey-brown and less olive, fringes of median upperwing-coverts are like scapulars, tips of greater coverts, primary coverts, secondaries and primaries are buff or buffish-white ,whiter on primaries, but all tips smaller than on adult, underparts are dull buffish with gingery-buff tinge, bill is pale yellowish-horn.

Habitat: It is found in breeding season in submontane and lower montane conifer and rhododendron forests including deodar, firs, birch, oak and hemlock. It is found at 2270–3350 m. In non-breeding season found in more open areas along forest edge, grassy slopes, edges of melting snow and roadsides; down to c. 1800 m.

Food habits: It eats tree seeds, buds and shoots, bark and berries, succulent leaves and flowerheads. It forages on the ground in the open or under bushes, in tall vegetation, in rhododendrons and in lower levels of trees. It is shy or unobtrusive; hops on ground and flies short distances when disturbed, and often perches at tops of trees. It is found in pairs and in small family groups; in non-breeding season forms slightly larger flocks

Breeding habits: They breed in mid-May to Aug. They are monogamous. The displaying male has crown feathers raised, wings held out from body, drooped and slightly quivering, approaches female on ground. The nest is built by both sexes. The nest is a large shallow cup of strong twigs, pine needles, lichens, plant fibres, dry roots, animal hair and some feathers, placed above ground on branch of pine or fir. They lay a clutch of 3 eggs. The eggs are pale greenish-blue, blotched with purple and sparsely spotted black or blackish-brown. Incubation done by female; male feeds incubating female on nest, and nestlings fed and cared for by both parents.

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