Spectacled Finch Callacanthis burtoni Scientific name definitions

“The Red-browed Finch is a most intriguing bird. Very little seems to be known of its nesting. In fact the few records extant are somewhat vague. It is by no means an uncommon bird, so how it has succeeded in maintaining its secret is somewhat of a mystery.” —R. S. P. Bates (1 Bates, R. S. P. (1935). Notes on the habits of some Indian birds. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 37: 902–911. Close : 907)

Previously known as Red-browed Finch, the Spectacled Finch is a monotypic genus endemic to the Himalaya mountains. This finch has puzzled ornithologists since it was first described, and has long intrigued naturalists by its confiding, yet mysterious ways. Often elusive, one may walk miles in Himalayan forest before encountering this species feeding unobtrusively on the forest floor, or delivering its striking, whistled pwee call from high in a tree.

The Spectacled Finch is a high-altitude species that breeds in submontane and lower montane conifer and rhododendron (Rhododendron) forests, with fir (Abies), spruce (Picea), deodar (Cedrus deodara), and oak (Quercus) at 2,400–3,350 meters, and makes limited altitudinal movement to overwinter in adjacent valleys or lower slopes, descending as low as 1,800 meters. It is a range-restricted species within the Endemic Bird Area of Western Himalayas, but may be a very rare breeding resident in Nepal (2 Inskipp, C., H. S. Baral, S. Phuyal, T. R. Bhatt, M. Khatiwada, T. Inskipp, A. Khatiwada, S. Gurung, P. B. Singh, L. Murray, L. Poudyal, and R. Amin (2016). The Status of Nepal’s Birds. The National Red List Series. Zoological Society of London, United Kingdom. Close ). Outside the breeding period, it is probably erratic or seasonal in occurrence in parts of its range (3 Clement, P., A. Harris, and J. Davis (1993). Finches and Sparrows: An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), and there are sporadic records from farther east in winter and early spring (4 Bishop, K. D. (2009). Spectacled Finch Callacanthis burtoni: another new country record for Bhutan. Forktail 25: 154–155. Close ).

Despite all authors testifying to the tameness of the species, most have expressed frustration in locating its nest, and it has only been discovered on a few occasions.

“We were also visited by those mysterious Red-browed Finches but if they had nests, as usual they were not giving away their positions.” —R. S. P. Bates (5 Bates, R. S. P. (1938). Rose-finches and other birds of the Wardwan Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 40: 183–190 Close : 184)

“I watched this pair frequently up to June 20, but any amount of searching failed to disclose a nest...” —R. S. P. Bates (1 Bates, R. S. P. (1935). Notes on the habits of some Indian birds. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 37: 902–911. Close : 907)

“They undoubtedly breed in the fir forest but no nests were found in spite of much search.” —B. B. Osmaston (6 Osmaston, B. B. (1927). Notes on the birds of Kashmir. Part 1. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 31(4):975–999. Close : 996)

“There is little doubt that two broods are usual, though I failed to observe a nest.” —H. A. F. Magrath (7 Magrath, H. A. F. (1912). More bird notes by the way in Kashmir. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 21: 1304–1314. Close : 1310)

These historical observations highlight the challenges of studying this species and the lack of information available on nesting biology even today. Not surprisingly, there is much to learn about many aspects of its biology, including the extent of the breeding range, demography, and population status. Such information is important because the Spectacled Finch is dependent on suitable habitat in the upper temperate zones, and loss or degradation of forest and alpine meadow habitats resulting from human activities (e.g., grazing, firewood, fodder collection) could directly impact the species' population.