Chaffinch

Fringilla fringilla

Chaffinches were introduced to New Zealand in the 1860-80’s and although they were initially slow to establish, due to their wide spread they were well established by the 1920’s. They are now abundant throughout New Zealand and the outlying islands, spread through farmlands, orchards, gardens, and native and exotic forests from sea level to sub-alpine scrub. Although chaffinches are migratory in northern Europe they don’t tend to migrate in New Zealand, but they do flock in the winter, and often congregate in orchards or farms where grain is being fed out.

 Male chaffinches are distinctly coloured, with a short, stout beak, black head, slate-grey crown and upper back. The flanks are chestnut coloured and the lower back and tail are olive green. The wings have bold white and black stripes. Females have similar head markings but tend to have much duller colouring. They can be identified by the olive green on their lower back and tail, and the black and white wing stripes.

In July at breeding season, males will sing vigorously to attract the female. When that is successful, mating will take place over a period of about 10 days, and nest building begins. The female builds a very tidy cup-shaped nest securely in the fork of a tree or similar using dry grass and moss and lining it with hair, feathers and wool. The laying season is from mid-September to late January with a peak in late October to early December. The female lays about 3-6 eggs which are greyish blue with purple blotches. She will not only solely incubate them but will also feed the chicks by herself when they are hatched, with the male only infrequently helping. The chicks will continue to be fed about 3 weeks after fledging.

Chaffinches feed on a variety of seeds, invertebrates and fruit. Insects such as flies, spiders, moths caterpillars and aphids are most important in the breeding season and the chicks will be mainly fed on caterpillars. Chaffinches can also sometimes be found hawking for insects over streams and lakes. They most often feed on the ground though, walking around with short quick steps.