Bullfinch
A garden bird that can be recognized by its “bull neck”
The bullfinch is a garden bird that is not seen as often as formerly in Great Britain, thus giving cause for concern for its future survival.
Conservation status
The bullfinch is well-established in the British Isles, although it has been persecuted in the past because of its supposed damage to fruit crops by taking buds early in the season and the ripe fruit later on. It is still on the “amber” list of species that are in danger of tipping into the “red”, and thus its conservation status is a cause for some concern.
Appearance
The bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) is similar in colouring to the chaffinch but has a markedly different shape, typified by its “bull” neck such that the head seems to be joined directly to the body. It is a compact bird, portly in shape, with a short bill, rounded shortish wings and a square-shaped tail. Males have a distinctive pinkish-red breast (more deeply coloured than the chaffinch) whereas females are more yellowy-pink.
The upperparts are grey, darker in the females and lighter in the males, such that the contrast in colour is much more marked in male bullfinches. The body colouring reaches to just beneath the eye, with the top of the head being black in…