# Common Chaffinch (*Fringilla coelebs*)

> The common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) is a widespread European finch whose males sing a loud descending trill from woodland treetops. Adults weigh about 25 g, visit garden feeders, and are listed Least Concern.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Woodland and gardens across Europe into western Asia and North Africa.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/chaffinch/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Passeriformes
- **Family:** Fringillidae
- **Genus:** Fringilla

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Fringilla coelebs |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Habitat | Woodland and gardens |
| Lifespan | 8–12 years |
| Weight | 0.02–0.03 kg |
| Top speed | up to 50 km/h |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## Pink-breasted songster

Breeding males show blue-grey caps, pink-orange breasts, and bold white wing bars. The song ends in a characteristic descending flourish that carries through spring woods.

## Seeds, buds, and summer insects

Bill shape shifts diet with season — seeds and buds in winter, caterpillars and other insects fed to chicks in summer. Ground feeding is common under trees.

## Woods and gardens across Eurasia

Breeds from the UK and Scandinavia east to Siberia and south to North Africa. One of the commonest birds in European gardens and parks.

## Abundant backyard bird

Least Concern with huge range and population. Trichomonosis outbreaks have hit UK greenfinch relatives harder, but chaffinches remain numerous.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does a chaffinch song sound like?

A repeated metallic phrase ending in a fast descending trill — one of Europe's most familiar spring sounds.

### How do you identify a male chaffinch?

Look for pink-orange breast, blue-grey head, and double white wing bars in flight.

### Do chaffinches migrate?

Northern populations move south in winter; British and many central European birds are resident.

### What do chaffinches eat at feeders?

Sunflower seeds, peanuts, and scattered grain on the ground.

### Why is it called chaffinch?

Old English linked it to chaff in grain fields where birds foraged among harvested crops.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/chaffinch/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.