The Long-tailed Rosefinch was split relatively recently based on a taxonomic revision. Three of the previous subspecies are now the Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinch, and the other two are the Chinese Long-tailed Rosefinch.
Somewhat counterintuitively, the Long-tailed Rosefinch in the North of Inner Mongolia is the Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinch.
Apart from that, there is not too much interesting to say about the species – I guess it is too cold at least in its wintering grounds to do much research.
Unless you are interested in chewing lice – a Japanese paper reports on a new species of chewing lice on a Long-tailed Rosefinch: “The lice discovered on the bird confirmed as belonging to the family Philopteridae of the suborder Ischnocera, by the following features: the snout did not extend from the head, there were two claws on each leg, and the antennae, which were elongated, were filiform, had five sections, and reached the corner roots.”
But it is such a beautiful bird that it justifies its own post, lice or not.
Wow! This is a fantastic bird and my first introduction to it.
Beautiful birds.I have fond memories of seeing a pair on the edge of a village in Siberia (not far from Lake Baikal) in 1989. Alas, never seen one since.
“Unless you are interested in chewing lice” – weirdest sentence ever. Cracked me up!