African crimson-winged finch brown breast and flank markings on Asian birds are more extensive than on African birds; and African birds have less black on the crown than Asian birds (on males it often tends to be restricted to the forecrown). Male birds also differ compared to the Asian birds in that they lack the extensive pink in their uppertail-coverts, no black spots on their breast-sides; less distinct black markings on the mantle and ear-coverts and almost no red on the face. African crimson-winged finch The African crimson-winged finch ("Rhodopechys alienus"), is a pale-colored thickset finch with a heavy, dull yellowish bill. It
Tyrian purple in antiquity because the colour did not easily fade, but instead became brighter with weathering and sunlight. Its significance is such that the name Phoenicia means 'land of purple.' It came in various shades, the most prized being that of "blackish clotted blood". Tyrian purple was expensive: the 4th-century-BC historian Theopompus reported, "Purple for dyes fetched its weight in silver at Colophon" in Asia Minor. The expense meant that purple-dyed textiles became status symbols, whose use was restricted by sumptuary laws. The most senior Roman magistrates wore a "toga praetexta", a white toga edged with a stripe of Tyrian purple.