Bullfinches named after their stout powerful beaks are not common garden visitors but very welcome when they do put in an appearance. The male and female have distinctly different appearance.
What does a bullfinch look like?
Length: 15cm
The bullfinch, with its striking plumage and gentle demeanor, is one of the UK’s most enchanting garden visitors. Recognisable by the male’s vivid pinkish-red chest and the female’s subtler, soft grey tones, these shy and secretive birds often stay hidden within hedgerows and woodland edges.
What does a male bullfinch look like?
The adult males have a shiny blackish-blue crown, grey-blue mantle and scapulars slightly tinged with yellowish-brown or occasionally pink. They have a white rump, blackish-blue upper-tail coverts. The side of the neck, throat, breast and flanks are pink. This colouration with the black cap make the Bullfinch easily identifiable.
What does a female bullfinch look like?
The females head pattern is like the male’s. The back of the neck is a grey-brown, with a dark yellowish-brown mantle. The scapulars and back are tinged with grey and the upper-tail coverts are a blackish-blue. The rump and axillaries are white, the ear-coverts, sides of the neck and under parts are a pinkish-brown colour. The wings and tail are like the male’s.
Young Bullfinches are like the adult females, but with a brown head and mantle and a white rump.
What does a bullfinch sound like?
A low, chirping ‘dev’. This is also the basis of its squeaky song.
Where and when do bullfinches nest?
Breeding starts from late April. They breed in a bush or shrub, usually one or two meters off the ground. Nests are loose in structure, made of twigs, moss and lichen. They are lined with roots and hair. The nest is built by the female. There are usually four or five blue-green eggs with purplish-brown streaks and a few markings. Incubation takes twelve to fourteen days and is mostly carried out by the female, she is fed on the nest by the male. Both tend the young, which remain in the nest for twelve to eighteen days.
Bullfinch habitat
Bullfinches prefer woodland, scrub, orchards and gardens.
What do bullfinches eat in the wild?
In the wild in the UK, bullfinches primarily feed on seeds, buds, and fruits. During the winter months, they rely on seeds from trees such as ash, birch, and hawthorn. As spring approaches, they are particularly known for feeding on the buds of fruit trees, which has earned them a mixed reputation among gardeners. They also enjoy berries from shrubs like bramble, rowan, and elder in the autumn. Occasionally, bullfinches will eat small invertebrates, especially during the breeding season when they need extra protein to feed their chicks. Their diet is varied and closely tied to the seasonal availability of natural food sources.
What to feed bullfinches in the garden?
- Sunflower Hearts
- Fruit Pieces
Where should you feed bullfinches?
Feeder – Ideally above 1m in height
Table – Covered
Ground – Not suitable
How to attract bullfinches to your garden
To attract bullfinches to your garden, provide a variety of natural food sources such as native trees and shrubs like hawthorn, rowan, and bramble, which produce seeds and berries they enjoy. Supplementary feeding with sunflower hearts or black sunflower seeds can also encourage them to visit. Dense vegetation, such as hedgerows or shrubs, offers the shelter and nesting sites they prefer. A birdbath or shallow dish of fresh water for drinking and bathing is another way to make your garden more inviting. Keeping the area quiet and undisturbed will help these shy birds feel safe enough to visit regularly.
