Eurasian Bullfinch

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.

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