White-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis) [XC728145]
by Tanguy Lo\u00efs from Arrondissement de Brian\u00e7on (near Le Mon\u00eatier-les-Bains), Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-C\u00f4te d'Azur, France (call, song, subsong)
White-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis) [XC323883]
by Antonio Xeira from Valfurva, Provincia di Sondrio, Lombardia, Italy (alarm call)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Black-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla adamsi) and Tibetan Snowfinch (Montifringilla henrici), and all have in the past sometimes been considered conspecific. Subspecies are geographically isolated from one another, and it is suggested that, in absence of gene flow, several are well towards achieving full species rank.
The following 7 subspecies are recognised:
nivalis (Linnaeus, 1766) - Southern Europe from northern Spain, Pyrenees, the Alps and Corsica east to Greece.
leucura Bonaparte, 1855 - Southern and eastern Asia Minor.
alpicola (Pallas, 1811) - Caucasus, and northern Iran east to Afghanistan.