About Carduelis caniceps Vigors, 1831
The grey-crowned goldfinch (Carduelis caniceps Vigors, 1831) measures 10.5–14 cm (4.1–5.5 in) in length, with a wingspan of 21.5–25.5 cm (8.5–10.0 in) and a body weight of around 15–21 g (0.53–0.74 oz). The only notable difference between males and females is that males have brighter, more extensive red facial coloring and brighter yellow wing coloring than females. Both adult sexes have a pinkish bill. Juvenile grey-crowned goldfinches do not have red facial coloring, have faint streaking on the breast, and have buffish tips to their coverts and tertial markings. Grey-crowned goldfinches breed across a range that starts in southern and eastern Iran, extends east through Afghanistan to the western Himalaya (covering northern and western Pakistan, northwestern India, and western Nepal), and extends northeast through Central Asia to far western Xinjiang, China. During the nonbreeding season, they occur at lower elevations in the Himalaya and Central Asia. They are altitudinal migrants in the Himalaya: they breed at altitudes between 2,400–4,200 m, and rarely breed as low as 1,500 m; in winter they descend to altitudes between 1,900–2,400 m, and rarely descend as low as 75 m. Similar altitudinal migration also takes place in Kazakhstan. This species occupies open sparse deciduous woodland, mixed deciduous and conifer woods, and forest edges between 2100-3600 m in altitude. It also lives in orchards, and is often found in parks and gardens. It typically occurs at higher altitudes than the European goldfinch.
