Eurasian Bullfinch

Pyrrhula pyrrhulaOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Finches (Fringillidae)

Codes: Common Name: EUBU Scientific Name: PYRPYR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179180

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Overview

Eurasian Bullfinch: Small finch, gray back and white rump. Cap is black and cheeks, breast, belly are red. Wings are black with single white bar. Black tail is slightly notched. Feeds on seeds and insects. Swift bounding flight, alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.

Range and Habitat

Eurasian Bullfinch: Casual to accidental on the Aleutian, St Lawrence, and Nunivak Islands in the spring. Casual to accidental to coastal Alaska in the fall and winter. Preferred habitats include gardens, parks, hedges, agricultural areas, and scrub with scattered trees.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"feww, feww"

Interesting Facts

The Eurasian Bullfinch can inflict serious damage on orchards by feeding on the buds of fruit trees. This has been a serious problem, especially in south-east England, where orchards capable of yielding several tons of fruit have been stripped by bullfinches so efficiently that only a few pounds could be harvested.

The sperm of the Eurasian Bullfinch differs markedly from that of all other passerines examined to date. In other passerines, the sperm head is pointed and helical, whereas in the Eurasian Bullfinch, the sperm head is rounded.

Their population has declined substantially over much of Western Europe since about 1955, likely because of habitat loss through urbanization, deforestation, and the intensification of agricultural practices, including the loss of hedgerows.

A group of bullfinches are collectively known as a "bellowing", "lowing", and "volery" of bullfinches.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Samira Belous

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Eurasian Bullfinch

● Song: "feww, feww"

● Foraging & Feeding: Eurasian Bullfinch: Eats mainly seeds and insects.

● Breeding & nesting: Eurasian Bullfinch: Four to six pale blue eggs flecked and marked with red brown are laid in a nest made of moss, twigs, and lichens, and lined with hair, moss, and roots. Nest is generally built on a tree branch or set in a bush or thicket. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Eurasian Bullfinch: None in range.

Flight Pattern

Swift bounding flight with rapid wing beats alternating with brief periods of wings pulled to sides.

Eurasian Bullfinch Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Eurasian Bullfinch: Casual to accidental on the Aleutian, St Lawrence, and Nunivak Islands in the spring. Casual to accidental to coastal Alaska in the fall and winter. Preferred habitats include gardens, parks, hedges, agricultural areas, and scrub with scattered trees.

^BreedingMonogamous, Pairs

^PopulationCasual

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.8 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America