Pale rosefinch

Carpodacus synoicus

Photo by Avi Meir (Flickr)

Common name:

pale rosefinch (en); peito-rosado-do-Sinai (pt); roselin du Sinaï (fr); carpodaco del Sinai (es); einödgimpel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Fringillidae

Range:

This Asian species has a patchy distribution in the Middle East, in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and into adjacent areas of Egypt. A separate population is found from northern Afghanistan to central and north-western China.

Size:

These birds are 13-14,5 cm long and has a wingspan of 18-20 cm. They weigh 21 g.

Habitat:

The pale rosefinch is mostly found in arid, rocky deserts in mountainous areas. They occur is wadis, gullies and ruins, passing to plateaus and dunes dotted with bushes in winter, but always in areas with access to water. They are found at altitudes of 2.000-3.350 m.

Diet:

They eat various small seeds, leaves, shoots, buds and occasionally fruits. In areas where they have frequent contact with humans they become less timid and will even eat food scraps left by tourists.

Breeding:

Pale rosefinches breed in March-June. The nest is a cup of twigs and leaves with a soft lining, usually placed in a rock cavity, but sometimes on the ground. There the female lays 4-7 eggs which she mostly incubates alone for 13-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 15 days after hatching. Each pair raises 2 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range. The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as scarce or locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Lesser goldfinch

Carduelis psaltria

Photo by Gary Kinard (Flickr)

Common name:

lesser goldfinch (en); pintassilgo-capa-preta (pt); chardonneret mineur (fr); jilguero aliblanco (es); Mexikozeisig (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Fringillidae

Range:

These birds are found from the south-western United States and Mexico, along Central America, and into Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Size:

Lesser goldfinches are 10-12 cm and have a wingspan of 20-22 cm. They weigh 9-10 g.

Habitat:

They are typically found in dry, open woodlands and in pastures, steppes, forest openings, and along streams.

Diet:

They mostly eat tree buds and weed seeds, but may occasionally take some arthropods.

Breeding:

In the northern parts of their range, lesser goldfinches breed during the summer, but in the tropics they breed all year round. The female builds the nest, a compact, open cup made of fine plant materials such as lichens, rootlets, and strips of bark, placed in a bush or at low or middle levels in a tree. There the female lays 3-5 bluish white eggs, which she incubates alone for 12-13 days. The male brings her food while she incubates, and while she broods the young for the first few days after they hatch. After that, both parents bring food to the young. The young fledge 2 weeks after hatching, but the parents continue to feed the young for at least another week.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 3 million. It may have undergone a small decline over the last few decades, but the species is not considered threatened at present.

Azores bullfinch

Pyrrhula murina

Photo by Carlos Ribeiro (Flickr)

Common name:

Azores bullfinch (en); priolo (pt); bouvreuil des Açores (fr); camachuelo de Azores (es); Azorengimpel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Fringillidae

Range:

The Azores bullfinch is endemic to the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. They are only found in the mountainous areas of the eastern part of the island, in Serra da Tronqueira and Pico da Vara.

Size:

These birds are 15-17 cm long and have a wingspan of 25 cm. They weigh up to 30 g.

Habitat:

The species appears entirely dependent on the trees of the native laurissilva forests, at altitudes of 300-700 m. In the Summer they prefer more open areas, while in the Winter they go deeper into the forest.

Diet:

This species is mostly herbivorous, consuming a range of seeds, fruits and flower buds from native plants. They are also know to eat fern sporangia and fronds, and moss tips. They may occasionally hunt small invertebrates, namely Hemiptera.

Breeding:

The Azores bullfinch breeds in May-August. The nest, placed in a low tree, consists of an outer layer of twigs and an inner layer of rootlets, grass and moss. The female lays 3-5 eggs which she incubates alone for 12-14 days. The young typically fledge from mid-July onwards.

Conservation:

IUCN status - EN (Endangered)

Although the population is not currently declining, there are just 1300 individuals spread over an extremely small breeding range. The species was abundant until the early 1900s, when it was considered a pest of fruit orchards. It became rare in the 1920s due to hunting and deforestation. Presently, the main threat is the spread of alien invasive plant species that limit their food supply. Predation by introduced rats and mustelids may also be affecting nesting success.

Violaceous euphonia

Euphonia violacea

Photo by Dario Sanches (Wikipedia)

Common name:

violaceous euphonia (en); gaturamo-verdadeiro (pt); organiste teité (fr); fruterito violáceo (es); veilchenorganist (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Fringillidae

Range:

The violaceous euphonia is a South American species found in Brasil, in the lower Amazon basin, north to Suriname, the Guyanas and eastern Venezuela, and south to the easternmost parts of Paraguay and Argentina. They are also found in Trinidad and Tobago.

Size:

These birds are is 11-12 cm long and have a wingspan of 16-17 cm. They weigh 14-15 g.

Habitat:

The violaceous euphonia is found is forest edges, clearings, secondary forests and plantations of cocoa and citrus fruits. They are also found in urban parks and gardens but avoid dry open habitats.

Diet:

These birds are mostly frugivorous, eating small fruits and berries, namely mistletoe berries. They may occasionally take insects.

Breeding:

The violaceous euphonia breeds during the southern Spring and Summer in November-February. They build a ball nest on a bank, tree stump or cavity. The female lays 3-4 red-blotched white egg which she then incubates alone for 15 days. The chicks become independent after 35 days.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

They have a very large breeding range. Although there is no reliable population estimate, the population is believed to be stable and with no substantial threats.