Common bullfinch
The common bullfinch is a small bird native to the woodlands, gardens, and orchards of Eurasia, known for its striking appearance and shy demeanor. Males display a vibrant pink breast and a prominent black cap, while females have more subdued colors, making them less conspicuous. Typically measuring around six inches in length and weighing just under one ounce, these birds are primarily seed and fruit eaters, foraging in trees and occasionally venturing into gardens, which has caused some conflict with fruit growers. Their diet varies seasonally, featuring items like dandelions in spring and hawthorn buds in winter.
Common bullfinches are monogamous, forming lifelong pairs that nest in dense bushes. The female incubates a clutch of four to five eggs, while both parents work together to feed their young, who fledge about two weeks after hatching. Although their natural habitats have been impacted by human development, they are becoming more visible in urban environments. Despite a declining population, common bullfinches are not currently considered globally threatened, with a lifespan ranging from two to four years in the wild but potentially reaching up to 13 years in captivity.
Subject Terms
Common bullfinch
The common bullfinch, as its name suggests, is a common sight in woodlands, gardens, and orchards of Eurasia. The male's pink breast and black head are more noticeable than the duller-colored female. It is a shy tree-dweller which eats seeds and fruits. It resides across Europe and warmer areas of Asia.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Pyrrhula
Species: Pyrrhula
The common bullfinch is six inches (fifteen centimeters) long and weighs a little under one ounce (around twenty-one grams). The male has a large black cap covering the top of his head and the back of his neck. Blue-gray plumage, or feathering, covers his back, and he has white on his rump. The feature for which he is most known and familiar is his pink breast and belly. The female is very similar but has a much duller plumage on her breast, belly, and back. Both have gray bars on their black wings, which span ten inches (twenty-five centimeters) long.
The common bullfinch's diet consists of seeds and buds which it finds mainly in the trees, since it rarely spends much time on the ground. The specific seeds and buds which they eat vary from season to season. Dandelions, buttercups, and the part of oak trees called catkins, which are like small flowers, are all popular foods in the spring. Summertime provides nettles, dock, privet, and bramble, all of which are various types of weeds and other plants. Autumn offers many different foods to eat since this is usually harvest time. Early in winter the bullfinch finds birch and ash seeds, as well as hawthorn and blackthorn buds as spring approaches. Sometimes when natural food supplies fail, the bullfinch will eat the fruit and buds from orchards and gardens, and this makes the bird rather unpopular with farmers and fruit growers. Fruit growers try to prevent the birds from damaging their crops by planting grassy areas around their orchards which the bullfinch hesitates to cross. They may also trap or shoot the birds.
When a common bullfinch is one year old, it is able to mate for the first time. A male and female form a pair when the female accepts the twigs the male offers her early in the spring of the first year they are able to mate. The two birds mate with each other for life. The female builds her nest of roots among the dense branches of a hawthorn or bramble bush. The clutch, or batch, of four or five eggs rests comfortably and safely on a bed of animal hair which the female gathers from the area. She incubates the pale-blue, purple-speckled eggs for about two weeks before they hatch. At first the male feeds the female and the chicks as the female stays with the chicks in the nest. As the chicks, grow the mother also helps the father feed their young. The young eat a mixture of seeds and insects which their parents chew, swallow, digest, and then regurgitate. They are able to carry large quantities of food in their cheek pouches and feed the baby birds every half hour. The young bullfinches fly from the nest two weeks after hatching, but they remain in the area and form a family group. The male and female then mate again and build a second nest for the second batch of young. During the winter all the birds in a family feed together.
This bird was not often seen in years past. The expansion and development of farms, towns, and cities has resulted in the loss of its woodland habitats. The bullfinch remains a shy bird even though it is now more often seen in developed areas where people live and work. Some still live in natural wooded areas. The life span of common bullfinches is two to four years, but can live up to 13 years in captivity.
The common bullfinches’ numbers are decreasing but are not globally threatened.
Bibliography
“Eurasian Bullfinch.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/eurasian-bullfinch. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Fuller Armstrong, Tavia. “Eurasian Bullfinch.” A-Z Animals, 13 Nov. 2022, a-z-animals.com/animals/eurasian-bullfinch/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Middlebrook, Candice. “Pyrrhula Pyrrhula.” Animal Diversity Web, 1999, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pyrrhula‗pyrrhula/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.