The Chaffinch, (Fringilla
coelebs), is a small passerine bird
in the finch family Fringillidae.
This bird is widespread and very familiar throughout
Europe. Its range extends into western Asia, north-western
Africa and Macronesia. On Tenerife and Gran Canaria,
it coexists with its sister species, the endemic
Blue Chaffinch. It is catholic in its habitat,
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, 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.
Its large double white wing bars, white tail
edges and greenish rump easily identify this 14-16cm
long species. The breeding male is unmistakable,
with his reddish underparts and a grey cap. The
female is drabber and greener, but still obvious.
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 the
fink contact call gives the finch family its English
name. Males typically sing two or three different
song types, and there are regional dialects too.
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 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. Everytime 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.
 Chaffinch,
Common Chaffinch, European Chaffinch , Pinson
des arbres, Pinzón
Vulgar,Gorrión molinero, Pinzón Común, Pinzón
vulgar,  Tentilhăo-comum, Fringuello
comune,Fringuello,  Vink, Bogfinke,
 Bofink, Peippo, Bókfinka, zuaoatori
,  zieba,
 pěnkava
obecná, Buchfink
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