Species in Focus: Common rosefinch

A male common rosefinch, described as a living rose, phographed by @ShivaJmc12 

The common rosefinch or scarlet rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) is a true member of the finch family (Fringillidae), inhabiting a wide and currently expanding geographical range throughout Asia and Europe in the Palearctic region of the globe. In 2018, an ABA Rare Bird Alert announced the arrival of a vagrant individual in Alaska. It sings a short but melodic song, interjecting the phrase “meet you” at the end of notes. This sound is reminiscent of a chestnut-sided warbler to ears more familiar with North American birds. Similar to other finch species, the common rosefinch has variety in its vocal repertoire. Two distinct songs are performed by males of the species and the function of each song is under investigation. This herbivorous migrating species can be heard or seen in woodlands, forests, and thickets of trees and shrubs. A dull brown female finch, acting as the choosy sex, travels with her flashy red counterpart across a long migration route to the breeding grounds. Although this passerine is socially monogamous, it has been known to partake in extra-pair copulations in order to promote species survival through increased chances of reproductive success. In addition, male coloration is more variable in the scarlet rosefinch than in other finch species, with younger males looking similar to females until a few years of age.

Many of the ecosystems relied on by this species exist within the Indo-European flyway, one of the most under-studied migrational routes. Migration routes often contain geographical barriers a species must overcome in order to access resources. By tracking a few common rosefinches with geolocators, scientists were able to identify the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Karakum Desert as the largest hurdles to a successful voyage to and from their breeding grounds due to the lack of vegetation available for foraging as well as weather conditions. For many migrating animals, such barriers have been responsible for the division of a species into separate subspecies. Geographically separate populations utilize distinct routes of travel that can lead to a process coined ecological speciation. The common rosefinch has five subspecies, differing not only by where they live but for some by their size or the brightness of their scarlet feathers. Three of these groups may have diverged quite recently. The inability to physically exchange genes between populations of rosefinches promotes independent evolution and species diversification.

Distribution data for C. erythrinus from IUCN red list.  Photo from Wikimedia.

The currently described subspecies include: Carpodacus e. erythrinus and Carpodacus e. ferghanensis which inhabit northwestern Eurasia in the summer, Carpodacus e. grebnitskii which breeds in the northeast, the southwestern Carpodacus e. kubanensis, and lastly Carpodacus e. roseatus which is most common in central and eastern Asia.

References

Common rosefinch. FINCH RESEARCH NETWORK. Retrieved from https://finchnetwork.org/species/rosefinches/common-rosefinch.

Clement, P., & Christie, D. 2020. Common rosefinch (carpodacus erythrinus). Birds of the World. Retrieved from https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/comros/cur/introduction.

Hung, C.-M., Drovetski, S. V., & Zink, R. M. 2013. Recent allopatric divergence and niche evolution in a widespread Palearctic Bird, the common rosefinch (Carpodacus Erythrinus). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 66(1), 103–111.

Pavlova A., Zink, R.M., & Rowher S. 2005. Evolutionary history, population genetics, and gene flow in the common rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 36(3), 669-681.

Polakova R., Schnitzer J., Vinkler M., Bryja J., Munclinger P., & Albrecht T. 2012. Effect of extra-pair paternity and parental quality on brood sex ratio in the scarlet rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus. Folia Zoologica, 61(3-4), 225-232. 

Lisovski S., Neumann R., Albrecht T., Munclinger P., Ahola M.P., Bauer S., Cepak J., Fransson T., Jakobsson S., Jaakkonen T., Klvana P., Kullberg C., Laaksonen T., Metzger B., Piha M., Shurulinkov P., Stach R., Strom K., Velmala W., & Briedis M. 2021. The Indo-European flyway: Opportunities and constraints reflected by Common Rosefinches breeding across Europe. Journal of Biogeography, 48(6), 1255-1266.  

Stach, R., Kullberg, C., Jakobsson, S., Ström, K., & Fransson, T. 2016. Migration routes and timing in a bird wintering in South Asia, the Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus. Journal of Ornithology, 157, 671-679.