Bullfinch

The bullfinch is a garden bird that is not seen as often as formerly in Great Britain, thus giving cause for concern for its future survival.


Conservation status

The bullfinch is well-established in the British Isles, although it has been persecuted in the past because of its supposed damage to fruit crops by taking buds early in the season and the ripe fruit later on. It is still on the “amber” list of species that are in danger of tipping into the “red”, and thus its conservation status is a cause for some concern.


Appearance

The bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) is similar in colouring to the chaffinch but has a markedly different shape, typified by its “bull” neck such that the head seems to be joined directly to the body. It is a compact bird, portly in shape, with a short bill, rounded shortish wings and a square-shaped tail. Males have a distinctive pinkish-red breast (more deeply coloured than the chaffinch) whereas females are more yellowy-pink.

The upperparts are grey, darker in the females and lighter in the males, such that the contrast in colour is much more marked in male bullfinches. The body colouring reaches to just beneath the eye, with the top of the head being black in both sexes. Males and females also share the white markings on the otherwise dark wings, and a white rump.

In size the bullfinch is slightly smaller than the chaffinch, at around 14-15 centimetres in length (nearly six inches). The song is mainly low-pitched, even mournful in tone, with long warbling notes included in it. A recording of the song can be heard on this page of the RSPB website, which includes a short video and other information about the bullfinch.


Distribution and habitat

In continental Europe the bullfinch is a migratory bird, flying south in winter months from its breeding grounds in the coniferous forests of the north. However, it is a resident bird throughout most of the British Isles, the exceptions being the far north and west of Scotland. In Europe, bullfinches are often seen in flocks, but in Britain they are more dispersed, tending to form pairs or small family groups.

In Britain, its preferred habitats include woodland with good ground cover, hedgerows, bushy areas of parks, and large gardens. It is not only the cover provided by these habitats that attracts bullfinches but the food supply, as the adult birds feed almost exclusively on seeds, berries and buds, hardly ever feeding from the ground.


Breeding

Nest building, by the female, takes place in late April, often in bushes or brambles quite close to the ground. The nest is built from woven twigs, lined with softer material such as hairs and moss. Although the nest-building work is done by the hen bird, the cock will never be far away. The clutch of five eggs is incubated, mainly by the female, for up to 14 days, after which both parents feed the nestlings, mainly on insects, for up to 16 days. The young birds are also brought food by the adults for a few days after they have fledged.

© John Welford