Collared Grosbeak

The collared grosbeak is a finch 22–24 cm long, found in mountainous deciduous or mixed forest across the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, mainly the Himalaya, in Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand. Adult males are glossy black on the head, upperwings and tail, with an earthy brownish collar contrasting with the black head. Standard measurements include a wing chord of 12.1–13.8 cm, a tail of 8.7–9.7 cm, a bill of 2.7–2.9 cm and a tarsus of 2.6–2.9 cm; two males weighed 69 and 72 g and one female 83 g (Wikipedia, general species account).

The species summers and breeds at 2,700–4,200 m, but its breeding behaviour is unknown. The flight call is a mellow but rapid pip-pip-pip-pip-uh, with a sharp alarm call, kurr, and the male's song is a clear, loud, rising whistle of five to six notes. Pairs or small parties usually perch near the tops of tall trees but often forage in lower vegetation or on the ground. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority, a resident forest bird with a Restricted range of about 33,500 km² and insufficient data on trends (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).