Desert Finch
Encyclopedia
The Desert Finch sometimes called Lichtenstein's Desert Finch, is a large brown true finch found in southern Eurasia
. Its taxonomy
is confused, and it has formerly been placed in Fringilla, Bucanetes, Rhodospiza and Rhodopechys.
It has an average wingspan of 26 centimetres (10.2 in). It has a stout black bill, black and white remiges
and rectrices
, and a slash of rosy-pink on each wing. The female is more dull in color than the male, but other than that the adult sexes are similar in color pattern.
The bird is indeed a desert
resident in areas where water is readily available, but it can also be found in low mountains and foothills, and in cultivated
valleys. It feeds on seeds and the occasional insect. Nesting occurs in trees in the spring, often in fruit trees in orchards, and the female lays and incubates 4 to 6 pale green, lightly speckled eggs.
This species does not migrate except locally. The Desert Finch congregates near rural and remote human settlements, and the well-watered orchard in otherwise arid land is an ideal habitat. It can be found in feeding in large flocks of its own species or mixed finch flocks.
Recent research by Zamora et al. (2006) has revealed that the Desert Finch is more closely related to the greenfinch
es of the genus Carduelis
(or Chloris, if Carduelis is split up) as indicated by DNA
sequence analysis, vocalizations, and the presence of a black eye-stripe. Genetically, it seems very close to the common ancestor of the greenfinches. It may be that the latter evolved from a desert form and later developed the green plumage, or that the common ancestor of the greenfinches and the Desert Finch (which lived around 6 million years ago) was a species of semiarid habitat which subsequently diverged into a truly desert-adapted lineage, today represented by the Desert Finch, and the ancestor of a woodlands lineage, the greenfinches. The distinctness of the Desert Finch from the other Rhodopechys species was recognized as early as 1888 by Sharpe
, but it was not until recently that its true affinities were determined.
es, which are among the oldest Carduelis species, appeared on Earth around 9 MYA.
One of these common ancestors is the desert finch, which now thrives in Asian deserts, but could have also inhabited African deserts.
This finch, with very pale colors and a breeding season mask similar to that of the common greenfinch, used to be classified, according to phenotypical (external) characters, close to the trumpeteer finch, but it belongs to genus Carduelis according to several molecular studies.
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
. Its taxonomy
Linnaean taxonomy
Linnaean taxonomy can mean either of two related concepts:# the particular form of biological classification set up by Carl Linnaeus, as set forth in his Systema Naturæ and subsequent works...
is confused, and it has formerly been placed in Fringilla, Bucanetes, Rhodospiza and Rhodopechys.
It has an average wingspan of 26 centimetres (10.2 in). It has a stout black bill, black and white remiges
Flight feather
Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices . Their primary function is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby...
and rectrices
Flight feather
Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices . Their primary function is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby...
, and a slash of rosy-pink on each wing. The female is more dull in color than the male, but other than that the adult sexes are similar in color pattern.
The bird is indeed a desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
resident in areas where water is readily available, but it can also be found in low mountains and foothills, and in cultivated
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
valleys. It feeds on seeds and the occasional insect. Nesting occurs in trees in the spring, often in fruit trees in orchards, and the female lays and incubates 4 to 6 pale green, lightly speckled eggs.
This species does not migrate except locally. The Desert Finch congregates near rural and remote human settlements, and the well-watered orchard in otherwise arid land is an ideal habitat. It can be found in feeding in large flocks of its own species or mixed finch flocks.
Recent research by Zamora et al. (2006) has revealed that the Desert Finch is more closely related to the greenfinch
Greenfinch
-Birds:* Black-headed Greenfinch * European Greenfinch * Oriental Greenfinch * Vietnam Greenfinch * Yellow-breasted Greenfinch -Other:...
es of the genus Carduelis
Carduelis
The genus Carduelisis a large group of birds in the finch family Fringillidae. It includes the greenfinches, redpolls, goldfinches, linnets, the twite, and the non-African siskins...
(or Chloris, if Carduelis is split up) as indicated by DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
sequence analysis, vocalizations, and the presence of a black eye-stripe. Genetically, it seems very close to the common ancestor of the greenfinches. It may be that the latter evolved from a desert form and later developed the green plumage, or that the common ancestor of the greenfinches and the Desert Finch (which lived around 6 million years ago) was a species of semiarid habitat which subsequently diverged into a truly desert-adapted lineage, today represented by the Desert Finch, and the ancestor of a woodlands lineage, the greenfinches. The distinctness of the Desert Finch from the other Rhodopechys species was recognized as early as 1888 by Sharpe
Richard Bowdler Sharpe
Richard Bowdler Sharpe was an English zoologist.-Biography:Sharpe was born in London and studied at Brighton College, The King's School, Peterborough and Loughborough Grammar School. At the age of sixteen he went to work for Smith & Sons in London...
, but it was not until recently that its true affinities were determined.
Origin of greenfinches
The common ancestor of all greenfinchGreenfinch
-Birds:* Black-headed Greenfinch * European Greenfinch * Oriental Greenfinch * Vietnam Greenfinch * Yellow-breasted Greenfinch -Other:...
es, which are among the oldest Carduelis species, appeared on Earth around 9 MYA.
One of these common ancestors is the desert finch, which now thrives in Asian deserts, but could have also inhabited African deserts.
This finch, with very pale colors and a breeding season mask similar to that of the common greenfinch, used to be classified, according to phenotypical (external) characters, close to the trumpeteer finch, but it belongs to genus Carduelis according to several molecular studies.