The white-winged snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis) is a small passerine bird. Despite its name, it is a sparrow rather than a true finch.

Taxonomy

In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the white-winged snowfinch in his Ornithologie based on a specimen but without specifying where it had been collected. He used the French name and the Latin Fringilla nivalis. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. The type location was subsequently designated as Switzerland. The specific name nivalis is Latin for 'snowy' or 'snow-white'. This species is now placed in the genus Montifringilla that was introduced by the German ornithologist Christian Ludwig Brehm in 1828.

Seven subspecies are recognised:

  • M. n. nivalis <small>(Linnaeus, 1766)</small> – south Europe
  • M. n. leucura <small>Bonaparte, 1855</small> – south and east Turkey
  • M. n. alpicola <small>(Pallas, 1811)</small> – the Caucasus and north Iran to Afghanistan
  • M. n. gaddi <small>Zarudny & Loudon, 1904</small> – southwest Iran
  • M. n. tianshanica <small>Keve-Kleiner, 1943</small> – east Kazakhstan and north Tajikistan
  • M. n. groumgrzimaili <small>Zarudny & Loudon, 1904</small> – northwest China to central Mongolia
  • M. n. kwenlunensis <small>Bianchi, 1908</small> – west central China and north Tibet

Description

The white-winged snowfinch is a large stocky snowfinch at in length. It has brown upperparts, white underparts and a grey head. There is a long narrow white wing panel. In summer, the bill is black, and there is a black bib. The bib is lost in winter and the bill becomes yellow. Sexes are similar.

left|thumb|In [[Tarn (department)|Tarn, France in December showing winter colours including an orange beak]]

In flight, it shows black wings with huge white wing panels, and a white edged black tail. This bird has a chattering song with many trills, and variety of rolling or creaky calls.

thumb|In Northern Alps, [[France in winter]]

Distribution and habitat

It is a resident breeding species on bare mountains, typically above , across southern Europe (Pyrenees, Alps, Corsica, Balkans) and through central Asia to western China. It nests in crevices or rodent burrows, laying 3–4&nbsp;eggs.

Behaviour

thumb|Eggs from the collection of the [[Museum de Toulouse]]

The white-winged snowfinch's food is mainly seeds with some insects. It is fearless, and will forage around ski resorts. It is hardy, and rarely descends below even in hard winter weather.

References

  • Photos at Oiseaux