The red-fronted serin or fire-fronted serin (''Serinus pusillus'') is a small

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the

finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

family Fringillidae. It prefers high mountain regions and is 11–12 cm long. This bird breeds in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

and the higher

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

s of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, with vagrants occasionally reaching the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Eastern Aegean Islands in winter. This bird is also found in

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

and other parts of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

. Outside the breeding season, it occurs in small flocks, typically seen searching through thistle patches. It is a popular cagebird, and escapees from captivity are occasionally found throughout Europe. The bird is variable in plumage, with adults resembling very dark

redpoll The redpolls (genus ''Acanthis'') (in Great Britain also historically known as redpoles) are a group of small passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae, which have characteristic red markings on their heads. They are placed in the genus ' ...

s. The foreparts are sooty and the forehead is red; juveniles have buff-brown heads. The call is a rapid, shrill "titihihihihihi", resembling that of a

Linnet The common linnet (''Linaria cannabina'') is a small passerine bird of the finch family, Fringillidae. It derives its common name and the scientific name, ''Linaria'', from its fondness for hemp seeds and flax seeds—flax being the English n ...

. The bird will breed in captivity and thrives on a diet of canary grass seed, millet, and other small seeds. They bathe daily if water is accessible.

Phylogeny

This species is phylogeneticagy included within the group of ''

Serinus syriacus The Syrian serin (''Serinus syriacus'') is a brightly coloured small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Description The Syrian serin is prettily coloured with bright yellow and pale grey feathers. The eyes are large and are surro ...

'' now thriving around Mt. Lebanon and other Asian and African patches in winter, together with ''

Serinus canicollis The Cape canary (''Serinus canicollis'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in southern Africa and has been introduced to Mauritius and Réunion. Its habitat is fynbos, grassland and gardens, preferably in ...

'' (African distribution) and ''

Serinus alario The black-headed canary (''Serinus alario'') is a species of finch found in Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. It is sometimes placed in the genus ''Alario'' as ''Alario alario'' Its habitat is dry open scrub and grassland, the edges of cultiva ...

'' (southern tip of Africa distribution
Arnaiz-Villena et al., 1999

Gallery

File:Fire-frontedSerin_at_Deoria_Tal.jpg, left, Fire-fronted serin at

Deoria Tal Deoria Tal (also Devaria or Deoriya) is a lake about from the villages of Mastura and Sari on the Ukhimath- Chopta road in the state of Uttarakhand in India. Situated at an altitude of in the Garhwal Himalayas, it has heavily wooded, lush gre ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

File:Fire-fronted_serin_at_Deoria_Tal.jpg, Fire-fronted serin at

File:Serinus pusillus MHNT 223 Caucase.jpg, Eggs of ''Serinus pusillus'' MHNT File:Fire-fronted_Serin.jpg, Fire-fronted serin

References

External links

Red-fronted serin From Turkey
{{Taxonbar, from=Q621833

red-fronted serin The red-fronted serin or fire-fronted serin (''Serinus pusillus'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It prefers high mountain regions and is 11–12 cm long. This bird breeds in the Caucasus and the higher mountai ...

Birds of Azerbaijan Birds of Western Asia Birds of Central Asia Birds of Afghanistan Birds of North India Birds of Western China