The Siberian long-tailed rosefinch is a species of finch of the family Fringillidae.
Region
Northeast Asia
Typical Environment
Breeds across Siberia east to the Russian Far East and locally in Mongolia and northeastern China, with winter movements into northern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. It favors willow and birch thickets along rivers, lake margins, and wetlands, as well as overgrown clearings and forest edges. In winter it frequents reedbeds, shrubby farmland, and hedgerows near human settlements. Vagrants are occasionally recorded farther west in Eurasia.
Altitude Range
0–2000 m
Climate Zone
Continental
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The Siberian long-tailed rosefinch is a small finch with a conspicuously long, graduated tail and a preference for dense riverside thickets. Males show rich rosy-pink tones, while females are more cryptically brown and streaked. It breeds across Siberia and northeastern Asia and moves south in winter into northern China, Korea, and Japan. Its sweet, whistled song carries well from willow and birch scrub.
female in Japan
Egg - MHNT
Temperament
shy in dense cover but can be confiding near thickets
Flight Pattern
undulating flight with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically forms pairs during the breeding season, nesting low in shrubs or small trees and constructing a neat cup nest. In the non-breeding season it gathers in small flocks that move through shrublands and reedbeds. Likely monogamous, with both sexes involved in nest defense.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Song is a sweet series of clear whistles and soft warbling phrases delivered from shrub tops. Calls include a thin, metallic tseet and soft buzzy notes used to keep contact within flocks.
