Bullfinches — amazing birds, whose arrival traditionally marks the beginning of spring. Their little funny little bodies with a red breast cannot be confused with anything! And it is they who are the main inhabitants of the birdhouses and visitors to the feeders, which many of us made at labor lessons in childhood.
Interesting facts about bullfinches
- In size, bullfinches are only slightly larger than sparrows (interesting facts about sparrows).
- When bullfinches eat berries, they pull out and eat the seeds, leaving the pulp.
- In addition to seeds, berries and buds, spiders enter the diet of bullfinches.
- The appearance of a bullfinch is considered a good omen – usually these birds are called a symbol of love and auspicious news.
- In Europe, bullfinches are often kept at home as songbirds (interesting facts about birds).
- If a bullfinch kept in captivity is fed poorly selected food, the feathers on its abdomen will lose their brightness and become pale pink or light orange.
- Bullfinches tolerate life well in a cage and breed without problems in captivity, but they die a year and a half earlier than their free counterparts.
- The largest species of bullfinch, called barnacles, inhabits the islands of the Philippine archipelago.
- Although bullfinches are songbirds, not everyone likes their singing. Most of all, the voice of these birds resembles a metallic creak or whistle.
- The scientific name of bullfinches in Latin translates as “fiery”.
- The wingspan of bullfinches is up to 25 cm, and weight is up to 35 g.
- Bullfinch chicks are brown in color, in addition, their heads lack the black “caps” characteristic of adult birds.
- In the Azores, there is an endangered variety of chocolate-colored bullfinches, and in the forests on the slopes of the Himalayas there are rare bright orange bullfinches.
- In China, there is a species of bullfinches with a red belly covered with red spots, as well as a gray “cap” on the head.
- The female bullfinch lays up to 7 eggs at a time.
- In summer and spring, bullfinches add eggshells, clay, chalk, grasshoppers and mealworms to their menu.
- Bullfinches are very calm birds that never fight over food and prefer not to fuss.
- Gardeners do not like bullfinches, as they eat the buds and shoots of young plants.
- The favorite dish of bullfinches is ash seeds, although these trees bear fruit only once every 2 years.
- Bullfinches successfully copy tunes and melodies of other birds.
- Songbirds in the full sense of the word are bullfinch males – females sing along with them only in rare cases.
- Bullfinches are depicted on New Year’s cards and calendars much more often than any other birds or animals.
- The opinion that bullfinches arrive only in winter is completely erroneous. These birds are sedentary, but in the summer they often have enough food in the forests, so there is simply no need to appear in cities (interesting facts about forests).
- Matriarchy reigns in bullfinch families – females lead the entire way of life.
- Little bullfinches become capable of independent living a month after birth.