Short Description
The chaffinch is about the size of a sparrow. Apart from a contrasting white wing bar, males and females are distinctly different.
The male is red-brown with a blue-grey cap. The wings are black with a white bar.
The female is inconspicuously olive-grey, brown and beige.
Features
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
plumage of the male bird rust-red with a blue-grey cap
Männchen: Gesang
Tembrock, CC BY-SA 3.0
In the city
Chaffinches can be found in parks and gardens with old trees.
Many chaffinches hibernate in Germany and visit bird feeders as food sources.
Fun Facts
From February to April, chaffinches start to sing approx. 10 minutes before sunrise.
Depending on their nesting places, some chaffinches migrate south over winter. The migratory birds fly to the hibernating region in early September and return in mid-March. However, many chaffinches remain in Germany all year round, seeking food from bird feeders and other sources.
Male and female birds do not migrate south at the same time. This is the reason for their scientific name of “coelebs”. It translates as “unmarried”.
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
Sources
Weibchen, Frieslandyoschi, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buchfink,_Weibchen._Chaffinsh,_female..jpg?uselang=de
Männchen, Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fringilla_coelebs_(5577610542).jpg
.jpg){kind=link}
Männchen, MichaelMaggs, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fringilla_coelebs_%28chaffinch%29,_male.jpg
,_male.jpg){kind=link}
Page „Buchfink“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. {revision}}: 02.02.2021, 10:15 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buchfink&oldid=208348908 (Accessed: 10.02.2021).
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Makatsch, W. (1989) Wir bestimmen die Vögel Europas, Leipzig: Neumann Verlag.
Voigt, A. (2006) Exkursionsbuch zum Studium der Vogelstimmen, Heidelberg: Quelle & Meyer Verlag.
Svensson, L. (2011) Der Kosmos Vogelführer - Alle Arten Europas, Nordafrikas und Vorderasiens, Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.
Harrison, C. (1975) Jungvögel, Eier und Nester aller Vögel Europas, Nordafrikas und des Mittleren Ostens - Ein Naturführer zur Fortpflanzungsbiologie, Hamburg und Berlin: Verlag Paul Parey.
NABU – Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. (2016) Vogeluhr, URL: https://www.nabu.de/nabu_vogeluhr2/index.php?iframed=1 (Accessed: 10.02.2021).
NABU – Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. (n.d.) Stunde der Wintervögel. Der Buchfink, URL: https://www.nabu.de/tiere-und-pflanzen/aktionen-und-projekte/stunde-der-wintervoegel/vogelportraets/12990.html (Accessed: 18.04.2016).