Finches · Perching birds
Common Rosefinch
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Carpodacus erythrinus
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Voice
Call
Song
Call
How to recognize it
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13–15 cm long
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Adult male: red head and breast, white belly
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Females and young: brownish-grey above, paler belly
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Melodic whistle, often rendered as "Have you seen Vitya?"
About the species
A male common rosefinch has rosy red across its head, breast, and rump, set against a reddish-brown back and dark brown wings. Two faint bars cross the wings, and its thick, cone-shaped bill is easy to spot against the red face. Females and young are brownish grey above, with a lighter underside.
It stays tucked into dense foliage, often heard before it is seen: a clear, melodic whistle gives away its hiding place. During nesting, the male feeds the female and then the young, while she remains with them through their first week.
It breeds in thick shrubs in open country, at woodland edges, and along river valleys. Seeds and berries make up its food, with insects eaten less often; it arrives in May and usually leaves by mid-August for winter in South and Southeast Asia.
Did you know?
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Chicks raised on unripe seeds
The rosefinch feeds its chicks mostly on unripe seeds, with only the occasional caterpillar, aphid, hoverfly larva or scale insect — insects aren't the staple they are for most passerines.
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Returns to the same patch yearly
The rosefinch keeps a tight grip on last year's breeding territory: ringed adults return year after year to exactly the same place.
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A true long-haul migrant
In north-eastern Europe the rosefinch is a true long-distance migrant with obligatory directional flights, unlike neighbours such as the siskin or redpoll, which tend to wander.
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Where to find
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In summer, by rivers among dense shrubs, listen for a musical whistle from the foliage.
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At forest edges where shrub cover meets open ground, look for a Common Rosefinch feeding on grass seeds and berries.
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In winter gardens and orchards, scan dense foliage for a slight movement that is easy to miss.
