White-winged Snowfinch

SCI Name:  Montifringilla nivalis
Protonym:  Fringilla nivalis Syst.Nat.ed.12 ed.12 p.321
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Passeridae / Montifringilla
Taxonomy Code:  whwsno1
Type Locality:  Switzerland.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1766
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

MONTIFRINGILLA
(Passeridae; Ϯ White-winged Snowfinch M. nivalis) L. mons, montis  mountain; fringilla  finch; "II. G. Bergfink. Montifringilla, Brehm.   1. Der Schneebergfink, M. nivalis Br.   2. Der Eisbergfink, M. glacialis Br." (Brehm 1828); "Die Bergfinken sind unter den Finken, was die Sporner unter den Ammern sind; allein sie leben auf den höchsten Bergen über dem Holzwuchse, neben, unter und über dem ewigen Eise und Felsen und auf dem Boden, fast immer in Gesellschaft  ...  Der Schneebergfink. Montifringilla nivalis, Br. (Fr. nivalis, Linn. N.W.V. Th. Taf. 117, 1, 2.)" (Brehm 1831); "Montifringilla Brehm, 1828, Isis von Oken, col. 1277. Type, by subsequent designation, Montifringilla nivalis Brehm = Fringilla nivalis Linnaeus (Gray, 1840, List Gen. Birds, p. 46)." (Greenway in Peters 1962, XV, 26).   
Var. Motifringilla, Mantifringilla.   
Synon. Chionospina, Eurhinospiza, Geospiza, Oreospiza, Orites, Plectrofringilla.

montifringilla
Mod. L. montifringilla (Turner 1544)  mountain finch, brambling  < L. mons, montis  mountain; fringilla  finch.
● "98. FRINGILLA.  ...  Montifringilla.  3. F. alarum basi subtus flavissima. Fn. svec. 198. t. 2. f. 198.  Montifringilla s. Fringilla montana. Jonst. av. 99. t. 38. Will. orn. 187. t. 45. f. 5. Raj. av. 88. Alb. av. 3. p. 60. t. 64. Frisch. av.  . t. 3. f. 2. 3. Olin. av. 32. Aldr. orn. l. 18. c. 7.  Habitat in Europa." (Linnaeus 1758) (Fringilla).

nivalis
L. nivalis snowy, snow-white < nix, nivis snow.
● ex “Pinçon de Neige” and “Niverolle” of Brisson 1760 (Montifringilla).
● ex “Avis ignota piperini” of Gessner 1555, “Fringilla albicans” of Aldrovandus 1599, “Avis nivis” of Martens 1675, “Montifringilla calcaribus alaudae” of Willughby 1676, “Great Pied Mountain Finch”, “Brambling” or “Sea-Lark” of Ray 1713, “Miliaria nivis” of Frisch 1733, “Pied-Chaffinch” and “Lesser Pied Mountain Finch” of Albin 1738, “Alauda remigibus albis: primoribus extrorsum nigris, rectricibus nigris: lateralibus tribus albis” of Linnaeus 1740, and “Snow-bird” of Edwards 1750 (Plectrophenax).

SUBSPECIES

White-winged Snowfinch (nivalis)
SCI Name: Montifringilla nivalis nivalis
nivalis
L. nivalis snowy, snow-white < nix, nivis snow.
● ex “Pinçon de Neige” and “Niverolle” of Brisson 1760 (Montifringilla).
● ex “Avis ignota piperini” of Gessner 1555, “Fringilla albicans” of Aldrovandus 1599, “Avis nivis” of Martens 1675, “Montifringilla calcaribus alaudae” of Willughby 1676, “Great Pied Mountain Finch”, “Brambling” or “Sea-Lark” of Ray 1713, “Miliaria nivis” of Frisch 1733, “Pied-Chaffinch” and “Lesser Pied Mountain Finch” of Albin 1738, “Alauda remigibus albis: primoribus extrorsum nigris, rectricibus nigris: lateralibus tribus albis” of Linnaeus 1740, and “Snow-bird” of Edwards 1750 (Plectrophenax).

White-winged Snowfinch (leucura)
SCI Name: Montifringilla nivalis leucura
leucura
Gr. λευκουρος leukouros  white-tailed  < λευκος leukos  white; -ουρος -ouros  -tailed  < ουρα oura tail.
● (J. Gmelin 1789) ex “White-tailed Fly-catcher” of Latham 1783 (syn. Myiomela leucura).
● ex “White-tailed Thrush” of Latham 1783 (Oenanthe).
● ex “Gros-bec du Canada” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 135, fig. 1 (subsp. Pinicola enucleator).
● ex “Black Sandpiper” of Pennant 1768, and Latham 1787 (syn. Tringa ochropus). 

White-winged Snowfinch (alpicola)
SCI Name: Montifringilla nivalis alpicola
alpicola
L. alpes or alpis  high mountains; -cola  dweller  < colere  to dwell.

White-winged Snowfinch (gaddi)
SCI Name: Montifringilla nivalis gaddi
gaddi
Georgiy Georgievich Gadd (1875-1918) Finnish zoologist, explorer in Persia with Zarudny 1903-1904 (Björn Bergenholtz in litt.) (subsp. Columba livia, subsp. Montifringilla nivalis, syn. Oenanthe hispanica melanoleuca, subsp. Periparus ater, syn. Saxicola rubicola).

White-winged Snowfinch (tianshanica)
SCI Name: Montifringilla nivalis tianshanica
tianschanica / tianschanicus / tianshanica / tianshanicus
Tiān Shān or Tien Shān, a mountain range of Central Asia.

White-winged Snowfinch (groumgrzimaili)
SCI Name: Montifringilla nivalis groumgrzimaili
groumgrzimaili
Grigory Yefimovich Grumm-Grzhimaylo (1860-1936) Russian entomologist, ethnographer, explorer in Central Asia (subsp. Montifringilla nivalis).

White-winged Snowfinch (kwenlunensis)
SCI Name: Montifringilla nivalis kwenlunensis
kwenlunensis
Kwen-Lun Mts., Chinese Turkistan, western China.