Granvéo Snowfinch
| Granvéo Snowfinch Conservation status: Least Concern | ||||||||||||||
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| M. granveiana | ||||||||||||||
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The Granvéo Snowfinch (Montifrigilla granveiana, French: niverolle de l'ouest, Alvésin: spàrfîn do îzvàlkrûs Granvéo) is a medium-sized songbird of the sparrow family known for its bright orange color that lives in the International Democratic Union. It is also the national bird of Antrium, where they are a protected species. They get their name from the Granvéo Mountains, where they were first discovered, and where they are now most abundant.
Contents
Appearance
Male Granvéo Snowfinches can grow to be about 20 cm long, and have bright orange heads and upper bodies. Their wings and tail are black or dark grey. Their bill is bright yellow. In winter, their plumage changes to a pale brown to better blend in with the trees.
Females are smaller, only 13-16 cm long, and have brown heads and upper bodies instead of the males' orange. Like the males, their wings and tail are black. In winter, they change to white.
Nesting
Granvéo Snowfinches make their nests high in the mountains. Females will nest in cracks or holes in rocks or occasionally in trees or rodent burrows if they can be found.
They make nests from leaves and mud, and are strongly protective. Females usually lay about 5 eggs, which are speckled gray or black on a whitish-grey background. Females incubate the eggs and protect them from predators while the father collects food. The incubation period lasts about 15 days.
Habitat
The Granvéo Snowfinch lives exclusively in mountain ranges, rarely descending below about 1000 meters above sea level. It is most abundant in western and central Antrium. They migrate all around the IDU, heading north for parts of spring and summer and returning to the south for fall and winter. The Granvéo Snowfinch lives in the following nations:
- Antrium
- Ceorana
- Domnonia
- Fonzoland
- Isles of Koster
- Keeslandia
- Mikitivity
- Quintessence of Dust
- Saidercray
- Schnauzer Dominions
- South Antrium
Diet
These birds are omnivores. They generally eat seeds or small insects, but will also eat berries. They also forage around ski resorts in higher elevations.
