Granddad’s Camera
Chaffinch, as it appears in the game

No.206 · Birds · Common

Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs

A pink-breasted finch with a blue-grey cap and two white wing bars. The male sings a cascading song that ends in a flourish.

When to look

All year, mostly at dawn and day.

Time of day

Best time
Dawn to mid-day; sings Feb–June. Winter flocks feed on the ground under feeders.
Where in the game
Millbrook (garden, park, churchyard and farmland)
Size
Length about 14–15 cm
Weight
About 21.8 g (BTO adult average)
Lifespan
Typically about 3 years once breeding; oldest ringed bird 13 years 11 months (BTO)
Population
About 5.1 million territories in the UK, down 26% since 1967 (BTO)
Status
Green (as listed by BTO)

Diet

Seeds and beech mast on the ground; insects for chicks in summer.

Habitat

Woodland, hedges, gardens and farmland; recorded in about 94% of British and Irish squares.

Breeding

4–5 eggs from late April; incubation 12–13 days; chicks fledge about 14 days later (BTO).

Field signs

  • Male: pink breast, blue-grey cap, two bold white wing bars; female olive-brown with the same wing bars
  • Song: a descending rattle that ends with a flourish; call is a sharp 'pink'
  • Feeds on the ground under feeders and bird tables

Did you know?

  • Winter numbers rise when migrants from Scandinavia join Britain's resident chaffinches (BTO).
  • Chaffinch declines since 2005 have been linked to outbreaks of trichomonosis, a disease spread at dirty feeders (BTO).
  • It is one of the commonest birds in Britain and Ireland, yet numbers are down 26% since 1967.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Song with a flourish February to June, dawn
    A male chaffinch sings his falling rattle, and finishes with a flick of the head.

Photo tip

Scatter a little seed on a mossy log and wait from a window. Male in early spring sunlight is the best shot; expose for the pink breast and avoid blown highlights.

Be a good naturalist

Clean feeders weekly; chaffinches are affected by trichomonosis too. Do not feed near where cats can ambush.

The law

Protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; it is an offence to damage an active nest.

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