Chaffinch
The chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) is one of the commonest finches. The male has a blue-grey crown, pinkish face and breast and chestnut back, while the female is a soft olive-brown. Both show bold white wing bars and white outer tail feathers.
On the islands
Chaffinches breed on islands with trees and shrubs, including gardens and plantations, and visit open ground in winter flocks. On treeless northern islands they are mainly passage migrants, sometimes arriving in large numbers in autumn.
When to see
Present all year where there is cover. Males sing from February to July, and continental birds swell numbers in winter.
Did you know?
The chaffinch’s rattling song ends with a distinctive flourish, and birds in different places have their own local dialects.
Where to see it on the islands
On Search Isle, the chaffinch is recorded on 204 islands. They are spread across Scotland (127), England (34), Wales (21), Crown Dependencies (12) and Ireland (10).
The most records come from Isle of Man (Isle of Man, 5,638 records), Anglesey (North Coast, 2,626 records), Calf of Man (Isle of Man, 2,194 records) and St Mary’s (Isles of Scilly, 1,663 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 chaffinch is usually seen from October to June. You can listen to a recording of it beside this page.
Other songbirds
The chaffinch is one of 9 songbirds on Search Isle, alongside Black Redstart, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Brambling, Bullfinch, Chiffchaff and Coal Tit.
