White-winged snowfinch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White-winged snowfinch |
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The white-winged snowfinch (also called the snowfinch) is a small bird that lives in mountains. Its scientific name is Montifringilla nivalis. Even though it's called a "finch," it's actually a type of sparrow.
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About Its Name
Scientists give every animal a special two-part name. This is called a binomial name. It helps everyone know exactly which animal they are talking about.
The famous Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus gave the white-winged snowfinch its scientific name, Fringilla nivalis, in 1766. The second part of its name, nivalis, is a Latin word. It means 'snowy' or 'snow-white'. This makes sense because the bird lives in snowy mountain areas.
Today, this bird is placed in a group of birds called Montifringilla. This group was named by a German scientist, Christian Ludwig Brehm, in 1828.
Different Kinds of Snowfinches
There are seven different types, or subspecies, of the white-winged snowfinch:
- M. n. nivalis (Linnaeus, 1766) – found in southern Europe
- M. n. leucura (Bonaparte, 1855) – found in southern and eastern Turkey
- M. n. alpicola (Pallas, 1811) – found from the Caucasus and northern Iran to Afghanistan
- M. n. gaddi (Zarudny & Loudon, 1904) – found in southwestern Iran
- M. n. tianshanica (Keve-Kleiner, 1943) – found in eastern Kazakhstan and northern Tajikistan
- M. n. groumgrzimaili (Zarudny & Loudon, 1904) – found from northwestern China to central Mongolia
- M. n. kwenlunensis (Bianchi, 1908) – found in west-central China and northern Tibet
What It Looks Like
The white-winged snowfinch is a sturdy bird. It is about 16.5 to 19 centimeters (6.5 to 7.5 inches) long.
It has brown feathers on its back and white feathers on its belly. Its head is grey. A clear white stripe runs along its wing.
In summer, the bird's beak is black. It also has a black patch, like a bib, under its chin. In winter, this black bib disappears. Its beak turns yellow or orange. Both male and female snowfinches look very similar.
When it flies, you can see its black wings with large white patches. Its tail is black with white edges. This bird makes chattering sounds. It also has trills and other creaky calls.
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Where It Lives
The white-winged snowfinch lives in bare mountains. It prefers places that are usually above 1,500 meters (about 4,900 feet) high.
You can find these birds in southern Europe. This includes mountain ranges like the Pyrenees and the Alps. They also live across central Asia all the way to western China.
These birds build their nests in cracks in rocks or in holes made by small animals like rodents. They usually lay 3 to 4 eggs.
How It Behaves
The white-winged snowfinch mainly eats seeds. It also eats some insects.
This bird is not afraid of people. You might see it looking for food around ski resorts. It is a very tough bird. It rarely goes below 1,000 meters (about 3,300 feet) in height, even when the winter weather is very harsh.
