BULLFINCH 



Pyrrhula Europaea 



ROM its retiring habits, and love of dense cover, the 

 Bullfinch is often supposed to be rarer than it really is. 

 Although somewhat locally distributed, it is found in 

 nearly all the wooded districts of Great Britain. It is 

 not known as a visitor to the bare and treeless Hebrides, 

 but has been recorded from both the Orkneys and Shet- 

 lands. In Ireland the Bullfinch is also resident, but is 

 not so common as in England. 



During the breeding season the Bullfinch is one of the shiest of our birds, 

 retiring to the depths of the woods and dense plantations. It is but rarely 

 seen in the open country where trees are scarce. In autumn and winter its 

 range is somewhat wider, and it is then frequently to be seen in gardens, and 

 along the thickly matted hedgerows dividing the fields. Indeed, it is only 

 during winter, when the leaves are off the trees, that we have any opportunity 

 of studying its habits. The Bullfinch is not a gregarious bird, and, unlike 

 most of the Finches, it is rarely seen in the company of other birds. Except 

 in autumn, when the young accompany their parents, the Bullfinch is usually 

 only seen in the company of its mate. In winter it will allow the observer to 

 approach it quite closely, as it restlessly moves from bush to bush searching 

 for seeds and berries. It is not often seen on the ground, preferring to seek 

 its food among the twigs and bushes. 



The food of the Bullfinch is almost entirely composed of fruits, berries, 

 and seeds, though in summer it also takes grubs and various insects. It is, 

 unfortunately for itself, very partial to the tender shoots of fruit-trees ; curiously 

 enough, almost all the buds taken are flower-producing, the leaf-buds being 

 left untouched. Some writers contend that the Bullfinch only takes those 

 buds which are infested by insects, but I have observed that such is the 

 exception, and not the rule. For the greater part of the year the Bullfinch 

 lives on the seeds of rank grasses and noxious weeds, so that the damage done 

 in the fruit-garden is amply compensated for elsewhere. It will eat the seeds 



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