Mountain finch

The mountain finches are birds in the genus Leucosticte from the true finch family, Fringillidae. This genus also includes the rosy finches, named from their pinkish plumage.

Mountain finches
Grey-crowned rosy finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Carduelinae
Genus: Leucosticte
Swainson, 1832
Type species
Linaria tephrocotis
Swainson, 1832
Species

See text.

The genus is a sister to the monotypic Procarduelis containing the Asian dark-breasted rosefinch. These birds are native to Asia and North America and are typically found in barren mountainous regions. Many species eat more insect material than other finches.

There are six species in the genus:

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Leucosticte nemoricolaPlain mountain finchAfghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Tibet, and Turkmenistan.
Leucosticte brandtiBrandt's mountain finchAfghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan
Leucosticte arctoaAsian rosy finchMongolia and North Asia; it winters in Manchuria, Korea, Sakhalin and Japan
Leucosticte tephrocotisGrey-crowned rosy finchAlaska, western Canada, and the north-western United States.
Leucosticte atrataBlack rosy finchInterior west
Leucosticte australisBrown-capped rosy finchcentral Rocky Mountains of the United States


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