Abstract
High-altitude environments worldwide are significantly experiencing the effects of the interaction between land-use changes on one side and climate changes on the other. In this scenario, species inhabiting such environments—often characterized by specific adaptations to extreme environmental variability and stochasticity—are particularly at risk. Among high-altitude bird species, the alpine snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis) can be considered a “flagship species” of the alpine ecosystem. Since 2016, the MUSE of Trento, in collaboration with other research institutions and protected areas both in Italy and abroad (and members of the network www.snowfinch.eu), has carried out a series of studies on the ecology, biology, and demography of this species, which are illustrated in this work. These studies are useful not only for the direct conservation of the snowfinch, but also for understanding the effects of environmental and climate changes on the alpine ecosystem and the species that inhabit it.