Spot-winged Rosefinch    Carpodacus rodopeplus

Etymology:

• Carpodacus : Greek word  karpos- fruit; dakos –biter  { Fruit eater/biter}
• Rodopeplus : rhodo – rose;  peplos- robe

Vernacular Names : Tibetan: Awal-luk-si

Distribution in India: Resident of Himalayas from Uttarakhand to Sikkim

Description: Size of 16–17 cm. It is a medium to large, large-billed Rosefinch with long and slightly notched tail. The male has maroon from forehead to nape, slightly brighter on nape and side of neck, pale pink supercilium, some feathers tipped finely white, from above lores and tapering over ear-coverts. The lores and face are dark crimson; upperparts are maroon, broadly streaked blackish, outer edges of lower scapulars are broadly streaked pale pink, forming pale pink lines, lower back and rump are deep red, tipped pale pink. The tail is dark brown, feathers are finely edged crimson. The upperwing is black or blackish brown, coverts are edged crimson, tips of median and greater coverts are spotted pale or bright pink, flight-feathers are finely edged crimson, and tertials are broadly edged and tipped pale pink. The chin and throat to side of neck are pale pinkish red, finely tipped pale pink, underparts are deep pink, darker reddish-brown tips on side of breast and flanks, lower flanks are tinged brown and undertail-coverts are tipped browner. The iris is brownish black; bill is dark brown, slightly paler brown mandible. The legs are flesh-brown to pale greyish. The female has head and upperparts as brown or olive-brown, broadly streaked dark brown on crown, mantle and scapulars, feathers fringed yellowish buff. The rump is unstreaked and plain brown, uppertail-coverts are slightly duller. The tail is dark brown, edged paler buff-brown. The upperwing are dark brown, coverts are finely edged paler and tipped pale buff, flight-feathers are finely edged warm brown, and tertials are broadly edged pale whitish buff towards tips. It has a long and broad pale buff supercilium from over lores to side of nape, lores to ear-coverts are dark brown, lower face is paler and streaked finely blackish; almost entirely warm buff-brown below, paler on chin and throat, heavily streaked blackish on lower throat and breast to upper flanks. The undertail-coverts pale buff-brown; bare parts much as for male. The juvenile resembles female.

 Habitat: It is found in summer months in Rhododendron scrub, Barberry and Rose thickets, bamboo and bushes in alpine meadows and on grassy slopes above treeline or along edges of conifer forests. In summers it is found at 3000–4600 m and in winters comes down to 2000–3050 m

Food Habits: It eats small seeds and rose hips. It forages on ground and in bushes, and often perches in the open on tops of bushes and trees.

Breeding habits:  They breed in July-Aug.