Grey-headed Goldfinch

Carduelis caniceps (Vigors, 1831)

		adult juvenile
2012-05-19 Shygan cardoon. National Park Altyn-Emel 2013-07-13 East-Kazakhstan, Bukhtarma	© Vassiliy Fedorenko © Valentin Zenkov

Distribution

It breeds in the mountains and foothills east and south east of Kazakhstan. More detailed distribution please see in the section Subspecies.

Biology

Common, in places abundant resident or short distant migrant. Inhabits the groves, gardens, forests in flood-lands, mountain deciduous and coniferous forests with shrubs and glades, at altitudes up to 1700 m in Altai and 2600 m in Tien Shan. Also lives in towns and villages. On migration visits fields (especially sunflower ones), kitchen-gardens, shelterbelts, forestless low mountains and thickets of tall weeds. Nest is located in tree (poplar, birch, elm, maple, oak, spruce, apple, pear, cherry, apricot) or in bush (juniper) at height 1.5-20 m above the ground; nest is built for 7-12 days by female from the dry thin grass and rootlets mixed with plant fuzz (of poplar mainly) and is lined with hair and fuzz. Clutch of 3-5 (usually 4) eggs is laid from mid-April to early August, mainly in May - June. Female incubates clutch for 12-13 days. Both parents feed offspring which fledge at age 12 days old, from end of May to late of August. Usually rears two broods per season, re-nesting after loss of first clutch is common. In autumn and winter disperses in flocks of up to several dozen birds; the distance of migration is unknown, but some birds from Altai reach Almaty.

Subspecies

	Carduelis caniceps paropanisi (Kollibay, 1910) Description. General colour is buffy-tinged and darker, especially on upper parts, than in subulata. Sizes lesser. Distribution. Breeds and occurs on migration in Tien Shan and Karatau, in Dzhungarskiy Alatau, Tarbagatay, Saur and on its foothills. Winters in south from western and southern foothills of Dzhungarskiy Alatau.
	Carduelis caniceps subulata (Gloger, 1833) Description. General colour is without buffy tinge, and lighter, especially on upperparts, than in paropanisi. Sizes larger. Distribution. Breeds in Kalbinskiy Altai, in Southwest Altai and in its foothills. On migration and in winter occurs in south-eastern Kazakhstan and in Irtysh valley in west to Semipalatinsk.

References

Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург. Издательство Уральского университета, 2000.