The Bullfinch – Pyrrhula pyrrhula

The Bullfinch is a regular visitor to the Meadow hide , always in a pair they normally arrive in mid afternoon and head straight to the water for a quick splash. I have never seen these shy and timed birds on any of the feeders. One of the larger finches’s the bullfinch has a rounder more compact body , with a black face and head , bright pink underparts and a black tail. The female differs from the male and has a buff – grey underpart. The young juveniles have a brown face and head. Adult birds have a wingspan of 23-26cm and weigh up to 28g. Bullfinches are often seen in pairs and form a breading bond for life.

There are a seven bullfinch species in total; the common, Azores, brown, Philippine, orange, red-headed and Beavan’s.

The Bullfinch can be found across the whole of the UK , anywhere that suits it’s preference for mixed woodland , parks and coniferous forest habitats. The bird is a shy creature , with reports showing only around 10% of Uk gardens have the bullfinch as a regular visitor. The birds are highly sedentary with most seldom moving more than a few miles from their nest during their lives.

The breeding season is normally from May to June. They are territorial and will defend their nesting areas fiercely during breeding. Once a pair have a territory they will hold it for the whole breeding season but may wander further afield in search of food after the last brood fledges. The female lays a brood of between 4 to 6 eggs in a nest made between 4 and 7 feet off the ground in cover and is made from fine twigs, moss and lichens, and lined with a thick layer of fine roots. The Chicks fledge at around 15 to 17 days. Most Bullfinches will have two broods a year. The average lifespan is around two years. The oldest recorded Bullfinch was 9 years old !

Bullfinches have a special sac at the foot of their mouth that can be used to store food.

They usually feed on insects, berries, seeds and buds – its liking for the latter has made enemies of some gardeners and fruit growers. Bullfinches have a special sac at the foot of their mouth that can be used to store food. Bullfinches were once considered a serious pest in orchards, so much so that in the 16th century, Henry VIII condemned their ‘criminal attacks’ on fruit trees, and an Act of Parliament declared that one penny would be paid for every bird killed.

Conservation status

Bullfinches have a huge range, extending from Ireland right across northern Europe and Asia to Japan. In Britain numbers have declined by nearly 40% since the 1960’s partly due to the loss and damage of woodland hedgerows and orchards. The Bullfinch is listed under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021) as Amber in the UK under birds of conservation concern and as with most wildlife in the UK the Bullfinch is protected under the wildlife and countryside act 1981.

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