Songbird Saturday: the Chaffinch

This pretty finch needs no introduction. Originally a woodland-dweller, like the Great Tit the Chaffinch has branched out and can now be found in nearly any habitat, from garden to park, farmland, town and so on. 

This incredibly adaptable bird – one of the UK’s most common breeding species – thrives in areas with oak trees, where an abundant supply of invertebrates can be found. Chaffinch are often found low down, foraging – as these ground-feeders eat seeds, grains and insects – but you won’t always spot them, as their patterned feathers act as clever camouflaging. This is particularly true for the female, which are a yellowish-brown, with a white wing stripe and shoulder patch – in stark contrast to the colourful males with their salmon-pink chests and blue-grey heads.

As with many birds in the UK, you’re likely to hear the Chaffinch before you see it. A repetitive, rattling, fast and dry performance drifting across the trees – a male Chaffinch’s song is a descending series of accelerating trills that ends in a dramatic flourish. Heard between February and June, the song is very distinctive and once you tune in to it, you’ll hear it everywhere!

The Chaffinch’s social call, meanwhile, is a striking, monosyllabic ‘pink-pink’ sound uttered singly, as a double note or even extended into a series when the bird is perched. In fact, it’s thought this sound gives the finch its onomatopoeiac name, as the word ‘Finch’ derives from the old English ‘finc’.

It is generally only the male Chaffinch which sings. Its loud, complex territorial song serves to defend his patch and attract mates. Females primarily use communication calls, although very rarely they might sing under specific conditions such as environmental pressures. That said, both sexes produce a rapid, rolling “rain-call” during breeding season.

The Chaffinch’s vocal vocabulary is very diverse, with an incredible level of sophistication. As well as its song, the bird is believed to have around 10 different vocalisations. Because of this, the Chaffinch is the other bird, along with the Great Tit, most commonly associated with mystery woodland calls.