Description:

Large, plump finch with big conical bill, short tail, and unique crescentic or cleaver-shaped and laterally sharply pointed tips of inner primaries. Mainly fawn-brown in coloration, with pale wing-covert panel, and black chin and lores. In flight, shows white band across primaries and white tip to tail. Female is duller than male.

Distribution:

Rare winter visitor and passage migrant in the northern and western parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Usually inhabits wooded hills, forest, orchards, mixed broadleaf and conifer woodlands. Often in riverine woods near streams up to 2500m.

Behavior:

Forages at all levels in trees (frequently in crown in summer) and in shrubs, occasionally (mostly in winter) on ground, where it takes fallen seeds. Feeds on wide variety of hard seeds, buds and shoots of trees and shrubs, also some fruit; some invertebrates and larvae.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Hawfinch in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Hawfinch

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.