Great Rosefinch (Carpodacus rubicilla) [XC491159]
by Ding Li Yong from Yushu airport area, Qinghai, China (call)
Great Rosefinch (Carpodacus rubicilla) [XC491160]
by Peter Boesman from Qumalay area, Qinghai, China (song)
Subspecies
Taxonomy uncertain. Subspecies severtzovi (with kobdensis and diabolicus) sometimes treated as a separate species on grounds of differences in plumage, breeding habitat and apparently vocalizations; nominate subspecies, geographically isolated from others, may be more closely related to Streaked Rosefinch (Carpodacus rubicilloides). Birds from west-central Himalayas (Chitral east to Nepal and adjacent southern Tibetan Plateau) proposed as subspecies eblis (described from Puga, in eastern Kashmir), purportedly larger and slightly darker red than those from farther western in Himalayas, but differences may be clinal. Further research is required, including study of variation of diabolicus and birds from north-western India.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
rubicilla (Güldenstädt, 1775) - Central and eastern Caucasus of south-western Russia, northern Georgia and northern Azerbaijan.
diabolicus (Koelz, 1939) - North-eastern Afghanistan, western Pamirs and Alai Mts.
kobdensis (Sushkin, 1925) - South-eastern Russia (Tuva, Russian Altai and Sayan Mts) and western Mongolia south to north-western China (northern Xinjiang); in winter also eastern Kazakhstan.
severtzovi Sharpe, 1886 - Eastern and south-eastern Kazakhstan (central Tien Shan, Dzhungarian Alatau), eastern Kyrgyzstan (eastern Pamirs), south-western and west-central China (western and south-western Xinjiang, southern and eastern Xizang and Qinghai, possibly also northern Gansu), and from northern Pakistan (Chitral east to Gilgit) and Ladakh east to northern Nepal and north-eastern India (Sikkim); in winter also western and southern Tajikistan.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet