Orange Bullfinch Pyrrhula aurantiaca
Etymology:
- Pyrrhula : Greek word purrhoulas worm-eating bird ; Pyrrha- Flame coloured
- Aurantiaca : aurantiacus – orange-coloured
Vernacular name: Kash: Sama sonatser
Distribution in India: Resident of Western Himalayas in India. (Kashmir is best pace to see this bird)
Description: Size of 14 cm; wt. of 17–22 g. It is a relatively small bullfinch with short, curved bill and slightly notched tail. The Male has rich deep orange on forehead to lores, cheek and chin black, forecrown to nape and upperparts. The rump and uppertail-coverts are white, longest coverts are velvety black. The tail is glossy blue-black; upperwing is black, median coverts are greyish, broadly fringed pale orange, greater coverts are edged bluish-black and broadly (on inners) tipped whitish-orange forming broad panel on closed wing. The primaries are black, alula, primary coverts, secondaries and tertials are glossy bluish-black, outer web of upper tertial is orange. The face and underparts are pale to deep orange, vent to undertail-coverts is white. The iris is dark brown; bill is bluish-black; legs are dark brown or dark pinkish-brown. The female has black on forehead and lores to behind eye and to chin. The crown to upper mantle and side of neck are pale grey, rest of upperparts are buffish-brown.the rump, uppertail-coverts, tail and upperwing as on male, but median coverts are grey, tipped buffish or yellowish-buff, greater coverts are broadly tipped pale buffish-yellow. The underparts are browner than on male, warm brown with orange tinge, paler or buffish on flanks, and vent to undertail-coverts are whit. The bare parts are much as for male. The juvenile is like female, but head and face are buffish-brown or tawny-buff, chin and throat are brown, underparts are paler or duller brown than on adult, belly to undertail-coverts are white or yellowish. The first-summer male is deeper orange above and below.
Habitat: It is found in lower montane and submontane fir and pine forests or mixed fir and birch forest. It is found at 2400–3500 m. In non-breeding season found on forested slopes at slightly lower levels, 1550–2330 m.
Food habits: It eats hard-shelled seeds, buds, berries and shoots of trees and larger herbaceous shrubs, including buds and catkins of birch, willow and cherry. It forages mostly on the ground, in snow-covered areas often at base of trees and shrubs. It flies in flocks often up into tall tree at intervals, before returning to same patch of ground. It is tame, but also wary or quiet and unobtrusive, and spends long periods sitting motionless in bushes or low down in trees. It forages singly and in pairs.
Breeding habits: They breed in May to early Aug. The pairs form from break-up of winter flocks, by early May. The nest is built by female. The nest is a a cup of plant fibres, roots and grass with some animal hair, on platform of twigs, placed above ground and well concealed on horizontal branch of fir. They lay a clutch of 3–4 eggs. The eggs are white with dark reddish-brown blotches. The incubation is done by female, fed on nest by male for a period up to 14 days. The chicks are fed and cared for by both parents. The nestling period is 12–16 days.