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Chaffinches - Western Isles Birds
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Male Chaffinch Newmarket April 2010 - Western Isles
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(Click Image for Larger Pictures) |
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Chaffinch - Newmarket
Ref: cha3001
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Chaffinch - Western Isles
Ref:cha3003
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Chaffinch - Newmarket
Ref: cha3000
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These beautiful birds the chaffinches are actually uncommon breeders in the western isles. This one is really quite tame - he let us stand only a few feet away to photograph him |
This lovely male chaffinch was again eating seed - that had fallen from the bird feeder on the ground at Newmarket - near Stornoway May 2009.. These tiny colourful birds are really quite long lived and can live up to 15 years.
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The female chaffinches are small finch like birds. They have a brown back and grey head & brown tails with white edges. The birds have an olive-green rump above their tails & pinky brown underparts. The males are the most colourful. |
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Chaffinch - Western Isles
Ref:cha3004
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Chaffinch - Western Isles
Ref:cha3002
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Chaffinch - Western Isles
Ref:cha3005
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Another view of the lovely male chaffinch at Newmarket May 2009. The nest of a chaffinch is built low in a bush or tree - it is a cup nest that is lined with feathers and grasses. The outside of the nest is sometimes lined with lichens stripped from surrounding trees.The eggs are dark spotted and greenish.
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The chaffinch does not feed openly on bird feeders - it prefers to hop about under the bird table or under the hedge. This female however seems to break the rule and is continually at our feeder.. The chaffinch can lay 4 or 5 eggs.
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Another lovely male chaffinch in The Western Isles - Newmarket May2009. Chaffinches move along the ground hopping with jerky movements of the head. These birds are really quite timid and soon fly off if other larger birds arrive in the space near them
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Chaffinch - Western Isles
Ref:cha3005
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Chaffinch - Western Isles
Ref:cha3006
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Chaffinch - Western Isles
Ref:cha3009
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The chaffinch pairs in late winter and are usually single brooded. However two broods are not uncommon.. Chaffinches spend more than a week building their nests.
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Another lovely male chaffinch in The Western Isles. This male was just waiting for me to photograph him sitting pretty outside my kitchen window. In winter chaffinches gather in large flocks. /in spring the males wear a brilliant blue-grey cap
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A chaffinch - a lovely colourful male - April 2010 - Isle of Lewis - Bird Sightings Western Isles
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Chaffinch - Newmarket
Ref: cha3001
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These beautiful birds the chaffinches are actually uncommon breeders in the western isles. The lovely Stornoway Castle grounds have facilitated this becoming more frequent in The Isle of Lewis |
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| Bird Overview - Chaffinch |
Family |
Finches |
Latin name |
Fringilla coelebs |
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Common |
Similar Species |
Brambling, Bullfinch |
Description |
The handsome male has a pink breast with a blue grey head. A double white wing bar is also quite striking especially in flight. The wing bars are formed by white patches on the wing coverts, and primary and secondary wing feathers. Its summer plumage is brighter that its winter plumage. White outer tail feathers. In summer, its bill is grey-blue, turning to pale brown in the winter.
The female has an olive-brown back, and grey-brown underparts becoming almost white towards the rump, which is greenish. The juveniles are similar to the female but lack the greenish rump. Juveniles and females bills are brown.
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Size |
14cm - 15.cm - ( Wing Span about 24.5-28.5cm (10-11 1/2 inches)
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Habitat |
The chaffinch likes woods,and copses which is probably why it can be seen around Stornoway on the Western Isles - as the castle grounds are a great habitat for this little bird.
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Food |
Seeds, fruit, berries, insects spiders and grain
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Voice |
The male chaffinch sings all the time during the breeding season. It sings a small number of song phrases. They are usually sung in the same order. Sounds like ‘chip, chip, chip, chooee, chooee, cheeoo.
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Breeding |
The chaffinch usually has only one brood - it pairs in winter - however more recently it isn't uncommon for it to have two broods. nesting season they they forage in trees and bushes, hunting for spiders, caterpillars, flies and other invertebrates. Chaffinches also can feed on flying insects by snatching them from the sky. They lay 3-6 eggs - brown or blue with dark spots - April to July - the incubation period being 11-13 days and the young fledge at around a fortnight, |
Misc. Info |
Chaffinches lives in groups during the winter time, whereas the rest time of the year it behaves rather territorial. This territorial behaviour is significant especially during the breeding season, when cock birds are trying to drive away all rivals. Finches live in a cup-shaped nest, often situated in a tree fork. They are usually found hopping on the ground searching for seeds, berries and small invertebrates |
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Western Isles Birds |
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