The Tibetan serin or Tibetan siskin is a true finch species.
Region
Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau
Typical Environment
Breeds and occurs across the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent Himalayas, including parts of western China (Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan), northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan. It favors subalpine and montane coniferous woods with spruce, fir, and juniper, as well as mixed birch–rhododendron forest and forest edges. In winter it may descend into valleys and foothills, using scrub, riverside groves, and sheltered plantations. Birds often range locally in search of seeding trees and shrubs.
Altitude Range
2500–4600 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The Tibetan serin, also called the Tibetan siskin, is a high-altitude finch of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau. It often makes short seasonal, altitudinal movements in response to weather and cone crops. Outside the breeding season it forms lively flocks and may join mixed groups of other small finches. Its thin, tinkling song is typically delivered from conifer tops or during short display flights.
Female (♀) from Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, West Sikkim, India
From Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
undulating with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it gathers in small to medium flocks, often moving between fruiting or seeding trees. Pairs form in spring; the cup nest is placed on horizontal branches of conifers or dense shrubs. Both parents attend the young, with the female primarily incubating while the male brings food.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A thin, high-pitched series of twitters, trills, and tinkling notes, delivered from treetops or in brief song-flights. Calls include sharp tsip notes and buzzy, siskin-like rattles.
Plumage
Small finch with greenish-olive tones, lightly streaked, and brighter yellow highlights on the rump and wing panel. Wings are darker with two pale wingbars; underparts are paler yellow to yellowish-green with fine streaking, especially in females. Bill is short and stout, conical, and pale horn-colored; tail is notched.
Diet
Primarily takes small seeds from conifers, birch, and various weeds and grasses. It also consumes buds and soft plant material, and in the breeding season may add small insects and larvae for protein. Flocking birds move between patches as seed availability changes.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in the canopy of coniferous and mixed forests, as well as along forest edges and clearings with seeding herbs. In winter it also forages in scrubby slopes, riverside groves, and sheltered plantations.
