Finches are small passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. There are over 120 species of finch worldwide, spread across most of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Some well-known finch species include the zebra finch, society finch, owl finch and Australian grassfinch.
India has a rich diversity of bird species due to its wide range of habitats and climates. Over 1300 species have been recorded in India so far. But do finches feature among India’s avifauna? Let’s take a look at the evidence.
Finch Species Found in India
Several finch species are known to occur in India. Some of the more widespread and notable ones include:
Plum-headed Finch
The plum-headed finch (Aidemosyne modesta) is a small sparrow-sized finch with a heavy conical bill. The male has a distinctive plum-colored head, chestnut upperparts and white underparts. The female is duller brown overall.
This finch is found in scrub and open woodland habitats of central and south India. Its range stretches from Gujarat and Rajasthan to Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Plum-headed finches can also be found in parts of Sri Lanka.
Tawny-bellied Babbler
The tawny-bellied babbler (Dumetia hyperythra) was formerly classified as a finch in the genus Spizixos. It is now placed in the babbler family Leiothrichidae. This bird has olive-brown upperparts and pale buff underparts with bright rufous flanks.
Tawny-bellied babblers occur mainly in peninsular India south of the Gangetic plains. They frequent scrub and open woodland.
White-browed Rosefinch
The white-browed rosefinch (Carpodacus thura) is a true finch with pinkish-red plumage and white supercilium. In the non-breeding season, the male’s colors are subdued and the female is brownish-olive.
This finch breeds in the western Himalayas from Kashmir to Himachal Pradesh. In winter, it migrates further south into the hills of central and peninsular India.
Pink-browed Rosefinch
Closely related to the white-browed rosefinch is the pink-browed rosefinch (Carpodacus rodochrous). As the name suggests, this finch has pink supercilium instead of white. Its breeding range overlaps with the white-browed rosefinch in the western Himalayas. During winter, it is more widespread across the northern Indian plains.
Red-fronted Rosefinch
The red-fronted rosefinch (Carpodacus puniceus) is aptly named for the male’s red crown, nape and rump. It breeds across the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas. During winter, red-fronted rosefinches descend into the northern Indian plains. They are recorded as rare winter visitors to the peninsula.
Dark-rumped Rosefinch
The dark-rumped rosefinch (Carpodacus edwardsii) is a Himalayan breeder that winters in the hills of northeast India. The male is rosy-pink with a black rump, while the female is brown. In India, it is found from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh.
Streaked Rosefinch
The streaked rosefinch (Carpodacus rubicilloides) is aptly named for the streaked pattern on its underside. It breeds across the eastern Himalayas and winters in northeast India. In summer, it is found from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh and in winter, descends into Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.
Plain Mountain Finch
The plain mountain finch (Leucosticte nemoricola) is a high-altitude finch with a massive bill. As the name suggests, it lacks strong facial markings. This species breeds in the Trans-Himalayas from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh above 3000 m. In winter, it migrates downslope to lower elevations in the same region.
Black-headed Mountain Finch
The black-headed mountain finch (Leucosticte brandti) is similar but has a striking black head. It breeds and winters in the higher ranges of the western Himalayas in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand between 2500-5000 m elevation.
Brown Bullfinch
The brown bullfinch (Pyrrhula nipalensis) is a sparrow-sized finch with a thick bill and entirely brown plumage lacking strong markings. It is found along the Himalayas from Afghanistan eastwards to central China. In India, this bullfinch occurs in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
Orange Bullfinch
The orange bullfinch (Pyrrhula aurantiaca) is aptly named for the bright orange-rufous plumage of the male. The female is olive-brown. This bullfinch is found in coniferous forests and Rhododendron bushes along the eastern Himalayas. In India, it occurs in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh between 2500-4500 m elevation.
Red-headed Bullfinch
The striking red-headed bullfinch (Pyrrhula erythrocephala) has a bright red head, neck and breast contrasting with black wings and back. It is found along the Himalayas from Afghanistan to central China between 1500-4500 m elevation. In India, this bullfinch inhabits coniferous and mixed forests in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Crimson-browed Finch
The crimson-browed finch (Pinicola subhimachalus) belongs to the rosefinch genus Pinicola. The male has bright crimson forehead and supercilium. This recently described species is known only from the western Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand between 2500-4000 m elevation.
Range and Distribution
As evident from the above list, finches are well represented in the Himalayan ranges and northeastern highlands of India. The great Himalayan range forms a natural barrier that separates the Palearctic ecozone to the north and the Indo-Malayan ecozone of the Indian subcontinent to the south.
The finch family Fringillidae has a predominantly Holarctic distribution centered in the Palearctic. Most finches found in India are species whose breeding ranges extend southwards along the high Himalayan ranges. Others migrate from the Palearctic region to spend the winter months in northern and northeastern parts of India.
Very few finch species are found in the peninsular regions or Western Ghats hills of India. The plum-headed finch is endemic to peninsular India while the tawny-bellied babbler has a disjunct distribution in central and south India. The streaked rosefinch has also been recorded as a rare winter visitor in southern India. But these are exceptions rather than the norm.
In summary, finches primarily inhabit the northern, northeastern and northwestern Himalayan ranges, at both high and middle elevations. During winter some species descend to lower hills and a few may stray into northern plains and central highlands. But finches are virtually absent from the arid northwest, Gangetic plains, Eastern Ghats, central plateau and Western Ghats regions of India.
Reasons for Distribution Pattern
India’s finch distribution pattern can be explained by the following factors:
Zoogeographical Affinities
Most finches found in India belong to Holarctic genera like Carpodacus, Leucosticte and Pyrrhula which are centered in the Palearctic realm. Their occurrence in India is an extension of their broader Eurasian ranges. Tropical finch groups like the grassfinches of Australia and estrildid finches of Africa are entirely absent.
Ecological Requirements
Finches are adapted to temperate climates and montane habitats. They favor coniferous forests, Rhododendron thickets and alpine meadows above the tree line. These ecological zones are found in the Himalayas but absent from peninsular India which has a tropical climate.
Dispersal Barriers
The arid Thar desert and Indo-Gangetic plains separate the Himalayas from peninsular India. These form barriers to dispersal of temperate finch species into the peninsula. Narrow sea barriers like the Palk Strait may also limit dispersal between India and Sri Lanka.
Endemism
India has its own endemic finch species like the plum-headed finch and crimson-browed finch that are restricted to certain areas due to their specific ecological requirements. Endemism contributes to the uneven distribution.
Competition
India’s peninsular regions already host diverse tropical bird families like sunbirds, flowerpeckers and white-eyes. Competition from these groups adapted to forests and scrub may have limited success of finches in colonizing the south.
Migration
Seasonal migration along the Himalayas enables some finch species to use high elevations for breeding in summer and descend to lower hills and plains during winter. This expands their overall range within India.
Status and Threats
Most finches found in India are fairly common within their range and several are even altitudinal migrants. However some species with restricted ranges face threats from the following factors:
– Habitat loss due to deforestation, urbanization, agriculture expansion and developmental activities like roads, dams and mining.
– Overgrazing and trampling damage by livestock in high-altitude habitats.
– Climate change leading to upward shift in habitats and loss of alpine zones.
– Disturbance and nest predation from expanded human activities in the mountains.
– Hunting and trapping for the pet trade (bullfinches).
Specific rare or threatened finches in India include:
– Tawny-bellied Babbler – Near Threatened
– Pink-browed Rosefinch – Near Threatened
– Crimson-browed Finch – Vulnerable
– Orange Bullfinch – Near Threatened
– Red-headed Bullfinch – Near Threatened
Targeted conservation action is needed to protect rare finch species in India, especially those with small isolated populations and endemic to certain mountain ranges. Measures like habitat protection, control on timber extraction and grazing, eco-tourism regulation and ban on trapping can help secure their future.
Conclusion
To summarize, finches form a prominent bird family in the Palearctic realm and several species inhabit the Himalayan ranges extending into India. The family is represented by around 15 species across northern, northwestern and northeastern parts of India. Their distribution is centered along the high Himalayas while a few species extend into peninsular hills and highlands.
Finches are largely absent from the Indo-Gangetic plains, central India and Western Ghats due to zoogeographical and ecological reasons. Within their montane ranges, finches occupy a variety of temperate and alpine habitats. Though many Himalayan finches are altitudinal migrants, dispersal barriers limit their spread into peninsular India which has its own tropical avifauna. Endemism, competition and migration ecology also influence current finch distribution patterns across India.