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The adult Brown Accentor in breeding plumage has brown upperparts; the neck, mantle and uppertail are grey-brownish with washed streaks on neck and mantle. Supercilium is white, lores and ear coverts are black. Underparts are buffy, slightly paler on chin and throat. The flight and tail feathers and its coverts are dark-brown, the flight feathers and its coverts have paler buffy edges. The tips of the median and greater wing coverts have little white spots. Legs are yellow, bill is black, and eyes are brown. In fresh autumn plumage the upperparts have grayish-buffy edges of feathers; underparts are intensive clayey-buff. Juveniles are very resemble the juveniles of Black-throated Accentor differing by the lack of brown tinge on the edges of wing feathers and not neat, washed streaks on the mantle. Male wing 69-82; female wing 71-75 mm; weight 16.4-22.0 grams.

Biology

The Brown Accentor is a common resident. Inhabits sub-alpine belt of high mountains with juniper bushes, alpine meadows with boulders and rocks at 2400-3300 m in Tien Shan. Rarely occurs in light juniper/spruce forest. For the most part remain in breeding areas in winter, but occasionally cones down, to scrub and gardens at 600-800 m. Breeding separately 100-300 m one from amother. Males start singing in mid to end of March. Nest is built mostly in a bush (juniper, rowan-tree, honeysuckle), seldom in spruce tree, among rocks, in buildings, or on the ground covered with a bush or a stone shelter, or up to 5 m above the ground. Female builds nest for 4-13 days of thin twigs, dry grass (in summer fresh grass is also used) and moss. The scoop is lined with hair, vegetation fluff and some feathers. Clutches of 3-6 eggs found in early May to late July and incubated solely by female for 10-12 days. Both parents feed juveniles, which fledge at 10-15 days, mid June to mid August. Some couples succeed to raise three broods per year (proved by colored ringing), but two brood is common. Repeated breeding after nest loss due to predation or nest parasitism (Stoat, Red Squirrel, Black-billed Magpie, Common Cuckoo) is very common. In summer the Brown Accentor are insectivorous, but late in autumn and in winter they turn herbivorous, preferring fir nutlets.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 3. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1970. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.