Plain Mountain Finch

Adult Plain Mountain Finch in spring and summer have dark brown fore-head, crown and mantle; with broad pale-brownish edges of feathers; dark core-parts formed longitudinal streaks. Nape and neck-flanks are sandy-grey without streaks; rump is plain brownish-grey. Long feather of uppertail is dark-brown with broad white tips; tail and flight feathers are dark-brown with whitish edges of outer webs. Underparts are plain pale-brownish; but sometimes with not clear longitudinal streaks on craw-flanks; axillaries are whitish. Undertail feathers are with pale-brownish centers and with very broad white edges of both webs. Legs and claws are dark-brown; bill is black-brown with some paler base of low mandible. Eyes are red-brownish. Juveniles have heavy expressed buffy-rufous and even rusty-rufous tinge, especially on head, mantle and secondaries. Legs are paler than on adults. Sizes. Males: wing 91 - 103, tail 60 - 70, tarsus 18 - 19.5 mm. Females: wing 90 - 98, tail 58 - 64, tarsus 18 - 19.4 mm.

Plain Mountain Finch is abundant, in places rare resident. It inhabits sup-alpine belt in highlands, from upper board of forest belt up to alpine meadows with cliffs and stone scattering, at 2350-3500 m in Tien Shan. At breeding areas singing males observed in May. Plain Mountain Finch breeds in separate pairs, at 15-100 m from each other. Pairs are formed from March till May. Nest is built in ground hole, under stone (rarely between stones or in cliff crack) mainly by female for 7-10 days. Nest is built from dry grass and rootlets and is lined with hair and feathers. Clutches of 3-6 eggs founded from end of May to mid-July, mainly in June. Only female incubates for about two weeks, in this time male feed her. Both parents feed juveniles, which fledge at age 15-19 days old, it happens from early July to mid-August. In breeding time, Plain Mountain Finches search food by groups, sometimes up to several dozens birds. In autumn and in winter Plain Mountain Finch lives in flocks at altitude lower than breeding areas, but on plains almost never descends.