Bullfinch
The bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) is a plump finch with a black cap and a stubby bill. The male has a rosy-pink breast.
On the islands
Bullfinches live in woodland and thick hedges on larger wooded islands.
When to see
Present all year.
Did you know?
Bullfinches feed on fruit buds in spring, once making them unpopular with orchard growers.
Where to see it on the islands
On Search Isle, the bullfinch is recorded on 73 islands. They are spread across Scotland (45), Wales (13), England (10), Ireland (3) and Crown Dependencies (2).
The most records come from Isle of Wight (Hampshire, 917 records), Anglesey (North Coast, 576 records), Long Island (Dorset, 119 records) and Islay (Inner Hebrides, 102 records). These counts reflect where people have looked as well as where the animal lives: busy islands, and those with bird observatories, have far more records than remote ones.
Through the year
The bullfinch is usually seen from October to August. You can listen to a recording of it beside this page.
Other songbirds
The bullfinch is one of 9 songbirds on Search Isle, alongside Black Redstart, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Brambling, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff and Coal Tit.
