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Trumpeter Finch
(Bucanetes githagineus)
: "Common Trumpeter Finch"
 German name(s): "Wüstentrompeter", "Wüstengimpel", "Wüsten-Gimpel"
Size: 11.5-13 cm
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Trumpeter Finches are small finches.
Their plumage is
dimorphic, i.e.
males and females
are different, at least during the breeding season.
Breeding males have some red feathers around the base of
the lower bill, a grey chin patch and, below a greyish-brown
breast, a light-pink belly. The undertail coverts are white.
The head is plain-grey, while the mantle and wings are
greyish-brown. The the outer wing coverts and the flight
feathers have pink frontal edges during the breeding season.
Also the rump and uppertail are pink, except for a dark-grey
terminal band.
Their most prominent feature is a red short conic bill.
Males in eclipse and females look alike. All pink is gone
from the males' plumage.
The chin and breast are grey, while the belly is creamy.
The head, back and rump are light-grey and the edges of the
wing feathers are also light-grey.
In females and males in eclipse the bill is pale-pinkish to
orange-grey.
Both sexes have dark irises and greyish-yellow legs and feet.
Juveniles
are plainer and more brownish than
adults
in eclipse, with a grey front and greyish-brown back. Their
bill is greyish-yellow.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Trumpeter
Finch at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Trumpeter Finch is available
HERE
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There are 4 races of Trumpeter Finches.
Altogether, their range extends from the Canary Islands
in the West, via parts of Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, much
of Tunisia and an area in north-western Libya
(including inland areas forming parts of the Sahara desert)
to the Nile river valley in Egypt, parts of the Midle East, Anatolia,
northern Iran and Arabia (again, including inland desert areas)
and on to parts of the Pakistan/India border region in the East.
In Europe, Trumpeter Finches are usually found only in the
near-coastal mountain range in south-eastern Spain, from about
Malaga in the South-west to Valencia in the North-east.
They sometimes show irruptive behaviour and have on occasion
been spotted in northern Spain, southern France and, in 2005,
even up to southern England and Wales.
Trumpeter Finches are highly specialized to live in semi-arid
and even arid habitats, including sandy and rocky deserts.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
We have not seen Trumpeter Finches in Europe yet.
D. Wilczynska reports spotting Trumpeter Finches
on Lanzarote, Canary Islands, in March 2017.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this page
has kindly been contributed by D. Wilczynska.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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NON-BREEDING |
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Distant lateral view of a Trumpeter Finch; this bird could
either be a female or a male in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lanzarote, Canary Islands, March 2017]
Distant dorsal view of a Trumpeter Finch; this bird could
either be a female or a male in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lanzarote, Canary Islands, March 2017]
Trumpeter Finchs are very sociable birds and are often found in
small flocks.
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
