Wildlifeof China
Rufous-necked Snowfinch
Finches, Sparrows & Buntings
Photo: (c) Cheongweei Gan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Pyrgilauda ruficollis
Basic stats
Diet
Seeds and insects
Habitat
Alpine temperate grassland and barren stony steppes and plateaus; breeds in pika and mouse-hare burrows
Range
Tibet and adjacent central and western China; winters south to Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan
Size
About 15 cm
The rufous-necked snowfinch is a sparrow-family bird about 15 cm long, naturally found in Tibet and adjacent areas of central and western China in alpine temperate grassland and barren stony steppes and plateaus. It winters south to Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, sometimes at lower altitudes. (Wikipedia, general species account)
It is quite brightly coloured for a snowfinch: adults have black lores and whitish faces except for chestnut or reddish-brown rear ear-coverts and neck sides. It has a soft voice and a chattering alarm call. It is locally very common and in the breeding season is closely associated with mouse-hares or pikas, in whose burrows it breeds and hides. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Quick answers
- What does the Rufous-necked Snowfinch eat?
- Seeds and insects
- What habitat does the Rufous-necked Snowfinch live in?
- Alpine temperate grassland and barren stony steppes and plateaus; breeds in pika and mouse-hare burrows
- Where is the Rufous-necked Snowfinch found?
- Tibet and adjacent central and western China; winters south to Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan
- How big is the Rufous-necked Snowfinch?
- About 15 cm