| .ןומרח ןרצוצח (512 | ||||||||||
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.ינצפק ופועמו עקרקה לע הברה תולבל גהונ ,לודג ורוקמ ,ידמל לודג :ןומרח ןרצוצח | ||||||||||
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Subspecies and Distribution.
R. s. sanguinea Levant, Turkey, and Caucasus area E to Tien Shan and Tarbagatay mountains. R. s. aliena N-W Africa. | ||||||||||
Descriptive notes.14-16 cm, 30-33 g, wingspan 30-34 cm. Quite large, heavy-billed, robust, ground-haunting finch, with bounding flight and calls recalling Woodlark. Restricted to rocky mountainsides and summits above 1500 m in breeding season.At any distance, appears nondescript dark brown but at close range displays strikingly pink, dark-rimmed wings, dark crown, and intricate pattern of face markings and body spotting. Male shows pink basal patches and white tips to tail. Sexes somewhat dissimilar, no seasonal variation. HabitatLargely complementary to Trumpeter Finch, being situated somewhat further north, in warm temperate zone, and ranging over higher altitudes. Found on bare eroded mountains, virtually devoid of vegetation, or on bare pebbly slopes or in tree-shrub mountain zone with stands of juniper. Occurs both on rocky and clay slopes, and on sand.In Israel, found on rocky slopes with sparse vegetation, nesting above 1900 m primarily in low bushes but also among rocks and on cliff ledges. Food and FeedingDiet comprises seeds of low vegetation, a few invertebrates in breeding season. Forages mostly on bare rocky ground, scree, snowfields, etc., or in and around desert type tussocky herbs and shrubs, in manner described as slow and heavy, taking seeds of limited range of plants, principally Chenopodiaceae, Boraginaceae, Cruciferae, and Compositae, also in overgrown gardens, sown fields, and in settlements, particularly in winter, where flocks feed.Breeding.Mid May to late Jun in Morocco, eggs laid from end of May in Israel, Apr-May in Turkey, mid May to Jul in Kazakhstan.Nest site, in stony places with little vegetation, on ground under overhanging rock, grass tussock, thorny cushion-type scrub, or in crevice between boulders. Nest, neat and loosely constructed, with foundation principally of tough dry grasses, including cereals, herb stalks, and roots lined with fine grass and plant fibres. 4-5 eggs, sub-elliptical, smooth and slightly golssy. Light sky-blue with small violet-brown spots concentrated at broad end. Incubation 13-15 days, by female only. Movements.Short distance migrant in north of range, altitudinal migrant elsewhere. Moroccan race aliena descends below breeding range in Haut and Moyen Atlas. Nominate in Turkey, descends to lower altitude in winter, and occasionally wanders to W Turkey. In Israel, breeds on Mount Hermon in north and not reported elsewhere at any season. During post-breeding dispersal.Status and ConservationNot globally threatened. No information on trends.Israel.In Israel subspecies R. s. sanguinea quite common local breeding summer visitor, only on rocky Hermon slopes. |
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