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Eurasian Bullfinch

Eurasian Bullfinch

Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Identify the Eurasian Bullfinch by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.

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The Eurasian Bullfinch is a chunky, bull-necked finch with a black cap, grey back and white rump; males have rosy-red underparts, females grey-buff. Quiet and unobtrusive, it gives soft, piping whistles. It lives in mixed and coniferous woods, parks and gardens across Europe and temperate Asia and is mostly resident, although northern birds move south in some winters.

Did you know?

  • Because it eats fruit-tree buds, it was once persecuted as a pest in orchards.
  • Tame bullfinches were once taught to whistle tunes.

Voice

Call
Alarm call

About the species

Identification

A sturdy songbird with a thick bill, a black cap and tail, a grey back, a white rump and a broad grey-white wing bar. The male's underparts are bright pink-red, the female's grey-beige; young birds are grey-brown without the black cap. The call is a soft, fluty “pyu”, and the song a quiet warbling in the canopy.

Family

Fringillidae

Size

Small (sparrow)

Colours

red, black, grey, white

About the habitat

Spruce-dominated and mixed woodland, forest edges, parks and gardens; closer to houses in winter.

Diet

Mainly seeds, buds – including those of fruit trees – and berries such as rowan; in autumn also seeds of ash and weeds. The chicks are fed insects and seeds, which adults carry in throat pouches.

Behaviour

Usually seen in pairs or small groups rather than large flocks, moving quietly through shrubs and trees. It nests in dense bushes or young spruces and often raises more than one brood. Its call is a soft, fluty “pew”, and its song a quiet, creaky warble. It often visits feeders in winter.

Sources

Photo: Francis Franklin, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bullfinch male.jpg

Sound: Benoît Van Hecke, XC543718, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://xeno-canto.org/543718

Sound: Sonothèque ADVL, XC916002, CC0 1.0 https://xeno-canto.org/916002

Text: Wikipedia (English) + FinBIF species descriptions + Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0; Wikipedia: CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_bullfinch

See also