Tibetan serin

Tibetan serin
Female Tibetan serin from Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary, Sikkim, India.
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Fringillidae
Genus:	Serinus (but see text)
Species:	S. thibetanus
Binomial name
Serinus thibetanus (Hume, 1872)
Synonyms
Carduelis thibetana

The Tibetan serin (Serinus thibetanus) or Tibetan siskin, is a true finch species (family Fringillidae).

Taxonomy and systematics

This species was formerly placed in Carduelis.

Description

Size(head, body and tail) of this species is around 12 cm. Tibetan siskin lacks yellow panels on wing in all plumages. Adult male has olive-greenish upperparts, yellow underparts, yellowish-green rump, yellow supercilium and border behind ear-coverts. Wing and tail feather of this bird species are broadly differentiated by yellowish-green color. While females of this species has black streaking on darker greyish-green upperparts, more clearly defined wing-bars than their male counterparts, paler yellowish throat and black flanked breast with streaking. Juveniles are duller green, tinged brownish-buff on upperparts, with duller rump, buff fringes to greater coverts and paler or heavily streaked underparts.

Distribution

Country wise it is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. In winters this species spent in central and eastern Himalaya. A group of birders from West Bengal found its presence in Hee Village near Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary, Sikkim, India in the month of March 2013.

Habitat

Tibetan serin generally breed in mixed forest and spend their winter in alder.

Voice

Their soft chattering sound is much like twang twang.

Phylogeny

It has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al.^[2]

References