Sharpe's Rosefinch

15 cm. Medium-sized slim, relatively small-billed rosefinch with long, slightly notched tail. Male has forehead to nape dark maroon with blackish streaks, very pale pink supercilium (some feathers tipped white) extending from above lores to just behind ear-coverts; lores, ear-coverts and cheeks very dark crimson with variable pink streaking; hindneck to lower back brownish with broad black streaks, scapulars and mantle sides with broad pale pinkish edges, rump contrastingly pale pink and more or less unmarked; upperwing blackish, tertials edged pinkish white, median and greater wing-coverts with pale pink or pale brown tips; tail dark brown, rectrices narrowly edged pink; chin and throat to neck-side dull pinkish maroon, underparts pale pinkish, undertail-coverts very pale pink-tinged greyish white; iris very dark brown; bill dark brownish; legs flesh-brown to pale greyish. …

S China (S & W Sichuan and NE Yunnan) and NE Myanmar; winters at lower altitudes. Found in summer (presumed breeding period) in forest edge, second growth and areas of scrub and bushes in alpine meadows, at 3000–4600 m. At other times occurs in mixed forest, grassy hillsides with bushes and bamboo thickets at lower levels, at 2100–2900 m.

Until recently considered conspecific with C. rodopeplus, but verreauxii differs genetically (1) and in its distinctly smaller bill (at least 2); strong, long black streaks on upperparts (1); and (in male) distinctly paler pink overall appearance vs dark and duller pink with heavy dark markings below (2); bright pink rump vs no distinct paler rump but just a few flecks of pinkish in dark rump feathers (2) (2). Monotypic.