Eurasian Bullfinch Identification
What I look like
The Eurasian Bullfinch is round and stocky.
It has a black head, including the cap, beak, and chin.
The back is grey.
The beak is short and conical, typical of seed eaters.
The throat and underside are pink-red with a white rump.
Its wings are black with a light wing bar.
In the female, the pink-red is replaced by beige.
The juvenile resembles the female, without the black cap.
It is a bit larger than a Great Tit.
My songs, my calls
The Eurasian Bullfinch has a soft, monotonous call, a plaintive "iuh".
The Eurasian Bullfinch wintering here, from Northern Europe, has a slightly different call, a trumpet-like "hip".
Its song is weak. It is a series of soft whistles.
Its song is not innate, it must learn it from its parents.
When it was used as an ornamental bird, it was taught to whistle a specific melody.
How I behave
The Eurasian Bullfinch is shy and calm.
But it is also very emotional. Banders must handle it delicately to avoid causing it to die from an emotional shock!
It generally lives in pairs.
In winter, several pairs gather and move together.
This species is not dependent on feeders because they eat buds available all year round.
They sometimes come to feeders after a companion has discovered an abundant food source.
Unlike many species, they are peaceful. They do not continuously defend their territory and feed side by side without quarreling.
How I reproduce
The breeding season of the Eurasian Bullfinch extends from April to August.
It produces 2 broods per year of 4 to 6 pale blue eggs, speckled with brown.
It nests in trees and shrubs.
Its nest is a cup of twigs, stems, and roots.
What I eat
The shape of its beak allows it to cut buds and flower buds from trees.
It also cuts the seed coatings of herbaceous plants and trees.
It also eats berries but not for the pulp, for the seeds they contain.
It consumes very few insects and larvae except for the young (mainly insectivorous).
Where to find me
The Eurasian Bullfinch lives in coniferous and mixed forests, in orchards, parks, and gardens.
It is a sedentary or short-distance migratory species.