The chaffinch is a small songbird found throughout Europe, parts of Asia, and introduced to New Zealand. Here are some quick facts about the chaffinch:
Quick Facts
- Scientific name: Fringilla coelebs
- Size: 5.5-6.5 inches long
- Weight: 0.6-0.9 ounces
- Lifespan: 2-3 years in wild, up to 20 years in captivity
- Habitat: woodlands, parks, gardens
- Diet: seeds, insects
- Identifying features:
- Males have blue-grey cap, rusty reddish underparts, black and white wings
- Females are duller brown and buff
- Thick conical bill
Appearance
The chaffinch is a compact, finch-like bird with a thick bill and fairly long, forked tail. Males have much brighter and more colorful plumage than females.
Males in breeding condition have a slate blue-grey cap and nape, a black forehead, rusty reddish underparts, and white sides to the neck. Their wings are black with conspicuous white bars and white tertial edges. The tail is black with white outer feathers. The bill is a thick bluish-grey conical shape.
Females are much drabber, with brownish upperparts, buff underparts with dark streaking, and less defined facial markings. Immature birds resemble females but are even duller in color.
Voice
The chaffinch has a varied repertoire of vocalizations. Its song is loud and melodious, and includes different phrase types combined in variable patterns. Calls include a distinctive “hweet” contact call, a “pit” alarm call, and a mechanical noise made by the wings during display flights.
Behavior
Chaffinches are active, social birds that spend much of their time high in trees feeding on seeds and insects. They often form large winter flocks that roam open countryside in search of food.
Chaffinches are territorial during the breeding season. Males sing loudly from high perches and perform display flights with slow, deep wing beats and spread tail. Females build nests out of moss, lichens and spider webs, and lay 4-5 eggs.
Chaffinches are partial migrants – northern populations migrate south for winter, while southern populations are more sedentary. They are common birds and their populations are considered stable across their wide range.
Habitat
Chaffinches inhabit open woodlands, forest edges, parks and gardens. They favor mature broadleaf or mixed woodlands with good shrubby undergrowth. During winter they often forage in more open areas like fields and hedgerows.
Although a woodland species, the chaffinch adapts readily to human habitats. They are a common and familiar garden bird throughout much of Europe, and often feed on the ground under birdfeeders.
Diet
Chaffinches are granivorous for most of the year, feeding mainly on seeds of trees and grasses. During summer, insects become a major part of their diet, especially when feeding young. Caterpillars are an important food source for chaffinch chicks.
Chaffinches feed both in trees and on the ground. In trees they forage on buds and pick insects off leaves and branches. On the ground they scratch among leaf litter searching for fallen seeds.
Food | Percent of Diet |
---|---|
Seeds (e.g. beech, elm) | 60% |
Insects | 30% |
Fruit | 5% |
Other (buds, nectar) | 5% |
Distribution and Habitat
The chaffinch has a wide distribution across Europe and western Asia. Its breeding range extends from the Azores and Canary Islands in the west to central Siberia in the east. It is absent from Iceland, southern Spain and Greece.
In Europe, chaffinches are found from sea level up to about 5,000 feet in mountain ranges. They inhabit wooded areas across most of the continent, being absent only from treeless areas of northern Scotland, the Alps and tundra regions.
Chaffinches have been introduced to New Zealand, where they are now common on both North and South Islands. Smaller populations have become established in South Africa and Australia as well.
Native Range
- Europe from Ireland east to central Siberia
- Northwest Africa
- Western and central Asia
Introduced Range
- New Zealand
- Australia
- South Africa
Taxonomy
The chaffinch was one of the many bird species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 18th century work Systema Naturae. Its scientific name is Fringilla coelebs.
There are several recognized subspecies across its wide Eurasian range:
- F. c. coelebs – nominate, occurs across most of Europe
- F. c. africana – northwest Africa
- F. c. spodiogenys – Eastern Europe to western Siberia
- F. c. canariensis – Canary Islands
- F. c. gengleri – Madeira Islands
- F. c. schiebeli – Corsica and Sardinia
The chaffinch belongs to the finch family Fringillidae, which includes other small seed-eating birds like bramblings, greenfinches and linnets.
Interesting Facts
- The chaffinch is named for its habit of feeding on the discarded chaff around grain stores.
- Its early spring song marks the start of the breeding season and is a sign of spring’s arrival.
- Chaffinch populations show declines during harsh winters when food is scarce.
- The New Zealand population was less than 200 birds when first introduced in the 1860s, but is now estimated at over 5 million.
- A Belgian study found chaffinches spend half their day foraging, a quarter singing, and a quarter being inactive.
- Chaffinch wings make a mechanical whirring sound during courtship display flights.
Conclusion
In summary, the chaffinch is a widespread, familiar songbird known for its melodious song and colorful plumage. It is adaptable to both woodland and human settings across Europe, parts of Asia and introduced areas. Abundant in many regions, the chaffinch is a representative member of the finch family found throughout the northern hemisphere.