The species is named after Mikhail Pyltsov, the Russian explorer who accompanied Nikolai Przhevalsky on the expedition in which specimens of the bird were collected.

Its taxonomic affinities were unclear for a long time, giving rise to other common names, the pink-tailed bunting and the Przewalski's rosefinch.

[4] Przewalski's finch is a small bird similar in appearance to the long-tailed rosefinch.

The tail is long and – quite unlike in typical finches – graduated, with the outer feathers much shorter than the central ones.

[3] This bird lives at elevations between 3,050 and 5,000 metres (10,010 and 16,400 ft), usually in pairs during the breeding season and in small flocks during the winter.