About Carpodacus rubicilla (Güldenstädt, 1775)
The great rosefinch, scientifically Carpodacus rubicilla, is a finch species belonging to the family Fringillidae. Its distribution ranges across Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and extends eastward into China. Its natural habitats are tundra and temperate grassland. In past taxonomic treatments, C. r. severtzovi and two other subspecies were classified as a separate species called the spotted great rosefinch, with the nominate subspecies referred to as the "Caucasian great rosefinch". These taxa are now generally recognized as subspecies of the great rosefinch. Four subspecies of great rosefinch are currently recognized: C. r. rubicilla (Caucasian great rosefinch), described by Güldenstädt in 1775, found in the central and eastern Caucasus Mountains; C. r. diabolicus, described by Koelz in 1939, found in northeastern Afghanistan and Tajikistan; C. r. kobdensis, described by Sushkin in 1925, found in southern Siberia, western Mongolia and northwestern China; C. r. severtzovi (spotted great rosefinch), described by Sharpe in 1886, found from eastern Kazakhstan to central China, the Himalayas and northern Pakistan.
