Description:

Large, stout rosefinch with large, conical bill and slightly notched tail. Male has paler rose-pink head and underparts, and paler sandy-grey upperparts which are only faintly streaked. Female and Ist-year male have paler, sandy-brown upperparts faintly streaked, lightly streaked ear-coverts and underparts.

Distribution:

Common resident and altitudinal migrant allover Gilgit-Baltistan, except for lower valleys. During summers in high-altitude areas with boulders and sparse vegetation up to 4500m; in winter also in hillside scrub and fields down to 2000m.

Behavior:

Forages on the ground between rocks, often at edges of snow patches, on cliffs and ledges in alpine vegetation, and in winter also in stunted low bushes and at edges of woodlands. Feeds on mostly seeds, buds, shoots and flowers of small alpine plants, occasionally berries and small insects.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Great Rosefinch in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Great Rosefinch

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.