Chaffinch
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| Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 |
The Chaffinch, (Fringilla coelebs), is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Its large double white wing bars, white tail edges and greenish rump easily identify this 14-16 cm long species. The breeding male is unmistakable, with his reddish underparts and a grey cap. The female is drabber and greener, but still obvious.
This bird is widespread and very familiar throughout Europe. It is the most common finch in western Europe. Its range extends into western Asia, northwestern Africa, the Canary Islands and Madeira. On Tenerife and Gran Canaria, it coexists with its sister species, the endemic Blue Chaffinch.
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[edit] Behaviour
It uses a range of habitats, but open woodland is favoured, although it is common in gardens and on farmland. It builds its nest in a tree fork, and decorates the exterior with moss or lichen to make it less conspicuous. It lays about six eggs.
This bird is not migratory in the milder parts of its range, but vacates the colder regions in winter. The coelebs part of its name means "bachelor". This species was named by Linnaeus; in his home country of Sweden, where the females depart in winter, but the males often remain. This species forms loose flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with Bramblings. This bird occasionally strays to eastern North America, although some sightings may be escapees.
The food of the Chaffinch is seeds, but unlike most finches, the young are fed extensively on insects.
The powerful song is very well known, and its fink or vink sounding call gives the finch family its English name. Males typically sing two or three different song types, and there are regional dialects too.
The acquisition by the young Chaffinch of its song was the subject of an influential study by British ethologist William Thorpe. Thorpe determined that if the Chaffinch is not exposed to the adult male's song during a certain critical period after hatching, it will never properly learn the song.1 He also found that in adult Chaffinches, castration eliminates song, but injection of testosterone induces such birds to sing even in November, when they are normally silent (Thorpe 1958).
[edit] Subspecies
Distinctive subspecies include
- F. c. madeirensis, Madeira
- F. c. africana, North Africa
- F. c. tintillon, Canary Islands
[edit] Finching
In a number of countries such as Belgium, the Chaffinch is a popular pet bird, although it is nowadays forbidden to catch the birds in the wild. In some areas of Western Belgium, finching (also called finch singing contests or finch song contests or vinkenzetting) is a quite popular sport. In a finching contest, a number of cages each housing a male finch are lined up, usually along a street. Every time the bird sings its song (which should be the correct tune!) this is marked with a chalk stripe on a wooden stick, and the bird singing its song the most times during one hour wins the contest.
Vinkenzetting, from the Dutch for finch-sitting, is a traditional sport played primarily in the Flemish regions of Belgium. Participants sit in front of caged finches and count how many times each finch sings a particular birdsong (most often transcribed as suskewiet).
The oldest known records of vinkenzetting are from 1593; however, it is believed to be considerably older, as the 1593 records were in a context implying that any reader would already be familiar with it.
By the late nineteenth century, vinkenzetting's popularity had diminished significantly; however, it saw a resurgence after the First World War, largely because of the large number of newly-blinded veterans who considered themselves unable to participate in other sports. As of 2006, it is estimated that there are over 13000 vinkenier, or "finch-holders".
[edit] Gallery
 Female |
 Male |
 Finching contest in Belgium |
 Madeira Chaffinch |
 Male |
[edit] External links
- http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/c/chaffinch/index.asp
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/250.shtml
- http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/chaffinch.htm
- http://www.madeirabirds.com/chaffinch_page
- Chaffinch videos on the Internet Bird Collection
Listen to the chaffinch at:
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/radio/dawn_chorus/video/chaffinch_song.ram
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/rams/birdsong-chaffinch.ram
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Fringilla coelebs. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Thorpe, W. (1958). The learning of song patterns by birds, with special reference to the song of the Chaffinch, "Fringilla coelebs". Ibis 100:535-570.
