The Tibetan rosefinch, also known as Roborovski's rosefinch, is a species of rosefinch in the finch family Fringillidae. It is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Kozlowia. It is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. Its natural habitat is montane tundra.
Region
Tibetan Plateau
Typical Environment
This species is confined to the high, windswept plateau of Tibet and adjacent Qinghai, occupying alpine steppe, montane tundra, and barren scree. It favors stony slopes, sparse dwarf-shrub patches, and cushion plant meadows near snowmelt zones. During harsher weather it may descend slightly to more sheltered valleys and yak pastures. Its range is patchy but follows suitable habitat across the central and northern plateau.
Altitude Range
4000–5600 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Tibetan rosefinch, also called Roborovski's rosefinch, is a high-altitude finch of the Tibetan Plateau and is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Kozlowia. It is unusually plain for a rosefinch, blending perfectly with the stony alpine tundra it inhabits. Pairs nest on the ground among rocks and cushion plants, where the cryptic plumage helps conceal adults and young from predators.
Temperament
wary and ground-oriented
Flight Pattern
low, fast flight with short, undulating bursts
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it forages in small, loose flocks that roam over suitable alpine steppe. In the breeding season it forms monogamous pairs and nests on or close to the ground among rocks or dense cushion plants. Adults are attentive but secretive around the nest and lead fledglings into cover quickly after disturbance.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a simple, high-pitched series of tinkling trills and twitters delivered from a rock or low perch. Calls include dry cheks and soft pink notes used to keep contact in sparse cover.
Plumage
Plain, sandy-brown to buff overall with fine, diffuse streaking and a smooth, unmarked appearance that matches stony tundra. Males can show a faint pinkish or rosy wash on the face and rump; females are duller and more uniformly buff-brown. Underparts are pale buff with minimal streaking and the wings show subtle pale edging.
Diet
It feeds primarily on seeds of alpine grasses, sedges, and hardy forbs, often husking them with its stout conical bill. Buds and shoots are taken in spring, and small arthropods are added during the breeding season for protein. It also gleans fallen seeds around yak pastures and snowmelt edges where food concentrates.
Preferred Environment
Foraging occurs mostly on open, stony ground, short alpine steppe, and among cushion plants and scree. It often works along leeward slopes and sheltered microhabitats where seeds accumulate. In winter it may frequent human-modified patches such as corrals or field margins on the plateau.
