Description:

A large, plumpish, finch-like bird with relatively long wingsand tail, bill stout and pointed. 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.

Distribution:

Rare resident in the northern most highlands of Hunza and Ghizer districts in Gilgit-Baltistan. Usually found in barren rocky ground with cliffs, meadows above tree-line up to snow-line, frequently near settlements at high altitudes up to 5300m.

Behavior:

Food items collected mostly on ground, but some insects caught in flight. Forages in pairs and small groups; in larger flocks outside breeding season. In winter mainly feeds on seeds, including undigested seeds in droppings, at other times of year insects, particularly grasshoppers, flies, beetles and spiders.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of White-winged Snowfinch in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of White-winged Snowfinch

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.