Bullfinch
- The bullfinch can live up to 15 years. This is a rare case among birds, as most of them have a shorter lifespan.
Age
Eurasian bullfinches experience several developmental stages, beginning with an embryo that develops inside an egg. The young, called nestlings, remain in the nest and are fed by their parents for a period of two to two weeks and four days. Following this, the species enters the adult stage, which lasts from one year to thirteen years and eight months, during which time it can reproduce; the age of sexual maturity ranges from nine months and one week to one year and three months. The typical lifespan of the Eurasian bullfinch is from thirteen years and two months to twenty-one years and eleven months, although the maximum recorded lifespan is seventeen years and six months, and the theoretical lifespan extends from twelve years and four months to seventeen years and eight months.
Phenotype
Young bullfinches are covered with sparse down, which is later replaced by feathers. An adult bullfinch has a short and thick black beak, useful for cracking seeds and buds, and possesses two wings for flight between trees. The male’s plumage features a bright red chest, a gray back, a black cap on the head, and white stripes on the wings; the female’s plumage is a grey-pink chest, a gray back, a black cap on the head, and white stripes on the wings.
Physiology
The Eurasian bullfinch measures from 12 centimeters to 3.6 meters in height, with a body length ranging from 14 to 18 centimeters and a weight between 25.1 and 27 grams; its wingspan is 26 centimeters. During the embryonic stage, the young have a body mass of 2 to 3 grams and a body length of 1.8 to 2.2 centimeters. The nestling stage is characterized by a body mass from 5 to 22 grams and a body length from 5 to 12 centimeters. Adult bullfinches weigh from 22 to 38 grams and measure from 14 to 18 centimeters in length.
Habitat
Eurasian bullfinches inhabit land, high mountain areas and tundra, as well as ground forests; the species’ elevation range extends up to 2 kilometers above sea level. They are found in temperate mixed forests with warm summers and many oak, birch, and maple trees, flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is abundant grass, and taiga characterized by cold winters and numerous coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. The climate varies, including very cold winters and very hot summers, consistently high humidity with almost constant rainfall, a cool summer with plentiful rain and snow in winter, snowy winters with cold temperatures, and warm summers accompanied by much rain.
Shelter
Eurasian bullfinches are found in bushes or on the lower branches of trees; the species builds or utilizes a nest structure for laying eggs and raising young. The nest is constructed from roots, twigs, moss, and blades of grass.
Geography
The Eurasian bullfinch is found within the Palearctic biogeographical region and occupies several ecosystems, including Celtic broadleaf forests, broadleaf forests of Western Europe, Baltic mixed forests, European Atlantic mixed forests, Sarmatian mixed forests, and Ural mountain forests and taiga.
Feeding
The Eurasian bullfinch’s diet consists of seeds, tree buds, berries, and occasionally insects; during winter, the species frequently consumes seeds of ash and rowan trees. The common bullfinch obtains food from plants, crushing it with its strong beak. Its food includes seeds, tree buds, berries, insects, coniferous cones, and seed. The feeding strategy involves active hunting and searching for food. Daily food consumption ranges from 15 grams to 30 grams. The species preys on beetles, butterflies, flies, Hymenoptera, bedbugs, Orthoptera, dragonflies, stoneflies, Plecoptera, amphipods, ribbon worms, and Hemiptera.
Reproduction
The Bullfinch forms a pair in spring, after which the female builds a nest and lays eggs, with embryo development taking 6 days. The brood size is 4–6 chicks, which are fed by both parents. The reproductive interval can vary from 1 day to 1 year 1 month. Maturity in the Bullfinch occurs at an age of 10 months to 1 year 1 month. Offspring number 4–6 individuals.