i walk. the other finches hop. i don't want to talk about it.
Chaffinch says
Bird 8 of 30 · video, 15:17
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
One of Britain's commonest birds: a blue-grey cap, pink breast, white wing bar and a walk instead of a hop.
- Small, 21.8 g
- Stays all year
- High in a tree
- Hedge or shrub
- On a feeder or bird table
- On the ground or lawn
About the chaffinch
Marks and dots
Tap a numbered dot, or a name in the list.
A blue-grey crown.
A pink breast.
A chestnut back.
A white shoulder patch and wing bar, most noticeable in flight.
Unlike most finches, a chaffinch walks rather than hops.
The female is duller than the male.
She has the same white shoulder patch and wing bar.
From egg to adult
-
Egg
Eggs4–5 eggs≠BTOthe video says 3–5 eggs
Hatch after12–13 days≠BTOthe video says 14 days
-
Chick in the nest
In the nest for14 days video, BTO agrees
-
Young bird
The video does not describe young chaffinches.
Adult
Blue-grey crown, pink breast, white wing bar
Broods a year1 brood video, BTO agrees
BTO averages: 12 days incubating the eggs, then 14 days in the nest. Averages across nest records, so the figures above can differ a little.
At the table
- not said in the video
The video does not say what chaffinches eat. It does call the male one of the most attractive visitors to a garden bird table.
This page mentions bird tables. Since April 2026 the RSPB and the BTO advise against them, and say to feed seeds and peanuts only from November to April. What changed, and why.
Through the year
Chaffinch: around Jan to Dec; gardens busy, spring and summer, Mar to Aug; flocks head for the countryside, Sep to Nov; winter migrants swell numbers, Dec to Feb; first eggs laid 12 Apr to 30 May, average 30 Apr (BTO); first chicks leave the nest 7 May to 27 Jun (worked out from BTO).
What to know about the chaffinch
Eight short notes in our own words. Each chip says what the note stands on, and links to its row in the table below.
What to look for
The male is a blue-grey crown, a pink breast and a chestnut back, with a white shoulder patch and wing bar that show best in flight. Unlike most finches, a chaffinch walks rather than hops, which is another handy clue.
Male and female
The female is duller, but she has the same white shoulder patch and wing bar.
The young
The video does not describe young chaffinches.
not in the video
Song and call
In early spring the male is conspicuous, using a cheerful, rollicking song to call a mate and mark his territory.
Nest
Built into the fork of a tree or bush: a well camouflaged, neat structure decorated with lichen, moss and feathers.
Feeding
The video does not say what chaffinches eat. It does call the male one of the most attractive visitors to a garden bird table.
not in the video
Staying or leaving
Gardens fill with chaffinches in spring and summer. In autumn they gather in flocks and head for the countryside, often with other small finches. The resident population has been put at up to seven million birds, and winter numbers can quadruple when migrants arrive from the continent. BTO says chaffinches are here all year, and that migrants from Scandinavia swell the winter population.
In the garden
One of the most common British birds, and a handsome visitor to the bird table.
Sources and checks
Where every fact about the chaffinch came from
17 claims about the chaffinch: 4 checked, 8 from the video only,2 differ, 3 from a source only. How the grades work
| Claim, in our words | Video time | Grade | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| The male has a blue-grey crown, pink breast and chestnut back. | 15:27 | video only | |
| The female is duller but has the same white shoulder patch and wing bar, most noticeable in flight. | 15:39 | video only | |
| The male's pink, chestnut and blue-grey plumage comes with bright white wing bars. | 15:27 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO describes the male's pink, chestnut and blue-grey plumage with bright white wing bars. |
| Unlike the majority of finches, the chaffinch walks rather than hops. | 15:46 | video only | |
| In early spring the male uses a cheerful, rollicking song to call for a mate and mark his territory. | 15:33 | video only | |
| Nests are built in the fork of a tree or bush, well camouflaged, neat and decorated with lichen, moss and feathers. | 15:56 | video only | |
| Between three and five eggs.video: 3–5 eggs | 16:05 | ≠differs | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 4–5 eggs (BTO typical)outside BTO's typical range of 4–5, though inside the 2–8 BTO has observed |
| One brood a year.video: 1 brood | 16:08 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 1 brood (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 1 |
| The eggs hatch after 14 days.video: 14 days | 16:10 | ≠differs | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 12–13 days (BTO typical)outside BTO's typical range of 12–13, though inside the 9–15.5 BTO has observed |
| The chicks leave the nest after two weeks.video: 14 days | 16:13 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 13–15.5 days (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 13–15.5 |
| Gardens attract large numbers of chaffinches in spring and summer, but in autumn they gather in flocks and head for the countryside, often with other small finches. | 16:18 | video only | |
| BTO says chaffinches are present all year in Britain and Ireland. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's introduction to the species. |
| Winter numbers swell with an influx of migrating chaffinches from the continent. | 16:32 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO says the winter population swells with large numbers of migrants arriving from Scandinavia. |
| The resident population has been estimated at up to 7 million birds, with winter numbers sometimes quadrupling. | 16:32 | video only | |
| The chaffinch is one of the most common British birds, and the male is one of the most attractive visitors to the garden bird table. | 15:17 | video only | |
| Adult weight, from ringing records: 21.8 g, adult average. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 21.8 g, adult average |
| Timing of the first clutch: first eggs laid around 30 Apr (12 Apr-30 May). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: first eggs laid around 30 Apr (12 Apr-30 May) |
Written in our own words after “British Birds in your Garden” by The Great British Channel, where the chaffinch starts at 15:17.Numbers are checked against the BTO's page for the chaffinch, read on 5 October 2026. We are not connected to the channel or to the BTO.
More birbs: 30 so far, and more to come
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