British Birds - Finches

This is the most common finch found in the British Isles but what is it? Try question 3 to find out

British Birds - Finches

Finches are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are perhaps most well-known through Charles Darwin's finches of the Galapagos islands, which provided evidence of natural selection. See how well you know your finches by identifying the following birds.

There is a picture below of the Common Crossbill by Elaine Wilson. This picture was deservedly featured by Wikipedia as one of their 'Pictures of the Day'. If you have an interest in wildlife and wildlife photography then please, please visit Nature's Pics. Prepare yourself to be amazed!

Which of these options do you prefer?

  1. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Carduelis chloris
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Resident Breeding Species
    • The vivid green and yellow plumage on adult birds tends to fade in winter
    • Young birds are rather dull looking and can easily be mistaken for Sparrows
    • Loves to pick the peanuts and sunflower seeds from birdtables

  2. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of Lawrie Phipps
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Carduelis cabaret
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Resident Breeding Species
    • It is a sociable bird which usually forages in flocks.
    • Breeding pairs form in late winter. The breeding territory and several pairs will often nest close together in a loose colony.

  3. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Fringilla coelebs
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Resident Breeding Species
    • Look for the distinctive white wing bars on both males and females
    • Females and young have more subdued colours
    • The most common finch found in the British Isles

  4. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of http://www.naturespicsonline.com/
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Loxia curvirostra
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Resident Breeding Species
    • Its bill is crossed over at the tips.
    • Most often encountered in noisy family groups or larger flocks, usually flying close to treetop height.
    • It feeds acrobatically, fluttering from cone to cone.

  5. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of Pankratov-p
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Carduelis cannabina
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Resident Breeding Species
    • Once very popular as a cage bird because of its melodious song.
    • They are sometimes found several hundred miles at sea.
    • The bird's name has become the nickname of King's Lynn Football Club.

  6. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of Stuant63
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Loxia scotica
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Resident Breeding Species
    • It is the UK's only endemic bird species (ie one found nowhere else in the world).
    • The population is thought to be less than 2,000 birds.
    • It nests in pines or other conifers.

  7. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of MPF
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Carduelis carduelis
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Resident Breeding Species
    • Look for the bright red face and striking white, gold, black and brown on the rest of the body.
    • A group of them are called a "Charm".
    • Put out Niger seed to attract them to your birdtable.

  8. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of http://www.marekszczepanek.pl/
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Fringilla montifringilla
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Winter Visitor
    • This species is almost entirely migratory.
    • In Europe, it forms large flocks in the winter, sometimes with thousands or even millions of birds in a single flock.
    • It has been called Cock o' the North.

  9. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of http://piqs.de/user/Geli/
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Pyrrhula pyrrhula
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Resident Breeding Species
    • It is a quiet, secretive but heavily built bird.
    • In keeping with its quiet nature, the song is a quiet warble.
    • Its call is a piped 'phew'.
    • Look for at woodland edges.

  10. What is the name of this bird?

    Photograph courtesy of Stawek Staszczuk
    • Group: Finches
    • Binomial: Carduelis spinus
    • Order: Passeriformes
    • Family: Fringillidae
    • Status: Resident Breeding Species And Winter Visitor
    • It has a distinctly forked tail and a long narrow bill.
    • This small bird is an acrobatic feeder, often hanging upside-down.
    • It will visit garden bird feeding stations.

Did you know that finches are amongst the most popular birds kept as pets? If you have an interest in cage birds then you might like to visit birdcages.net where you will find a wealth of fascinating information.

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