Common Rosefinch

Carpodacus erythrinus

The male turns crimson only after his second summer. Delivers messages in slow-developing red.

Population: 27.3–56 million mature individuals globally (2018 estimate), decreasing trend
Habitat: Lowland to montane moist forests, woodlands and thickets of willow/alder/poplar/tamarisk, scrub, riverine areas, reedbeds, hedges and orchards; breeds near water, winters in gardens, orchards, wetlands and dry oak woodland; occurs from sea level to 4,550 m
Fun fact: Male Common Rosefinches don't gain their full rosy-carmine head and breast plumage until after their first molt, and a rare yellow (xanthochroistic) color morph occurs, driven by diet/environmental factors rather than genetics.
Range: Breeds across a vast Palearctic band (~41.7 million km2) from the Danube valley/Eastern Europe through Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Siberia to Japan and the Bering Sea, with a westward-expanding fringe reaching Western Europe (Portugal, British Isles as vagrant); a full migrant wintering (~10.2 million km2) from southern Iran through the Indian subcontinent, Himalayas and Southeast Asia to southern China; recorded in 80+ countries/territories
Diet: Primarily seeds, buds and other plant matter, supplemented with insects, especially when feeding young
Size: 0.14 m
Wingspan: 0.24 m
Lifespan: 9.7 years

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