Eurasian bullfinch

Male

Female

Eurasian bullfinch

The bullfinch is a passerine bird in the finch family (Fringillidae) found in Europe and the temperate parts of Asia. It is a stocky bird with striking plumage. The male can be distinguished from the female by its brightly colored pink-red underside. This is considerably more pale in the female. The birds usually form breeding pairs in the fall and then stay together until the end of the breeding season.

NL: Goudvink
D: Gimpel
FI: Punatulkku

Latin name: Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Bird group: Finsches

Field characteristics: The bullfinch is a stocky finch species. An adult bird has a body length of 14 to 15 centimeters and a wingspan of 22 to 29 centimeters. The northern bullfinch (P. p. puyrrhula) is a subspecies that is considerably larger with a maximum body length of 17.5 centimeters.
The bullfinch has a relatively large head and no clearly distinguishable neck. The upper edge of the short black bill is in line with the forehead. The bullfinch has short rounded wings and a rectangular tail.

Distribution: The bullfinch’s range covers most of Europe and temperate parts of Asia. The bullfinch is resident in most of this area, but many northern populations migrate south in winter.

Song/Call: The call of the bullfinch sounds like a soft, plaintive and slightly descending diu diu. The vocals are a soft whistling, regularly interrupted by trills and scratching sounds. While singing, the tail often bounces up and down.