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24

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) Alternate name(s): "Mountain Finch", "Cock o' the North" German name(s): "Bergfink", "Nordfink", "Brämling" Size: 14-16 cm Weight: 17-30 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Bramblings are medium-sized finches. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. In addition, Male Bramblings have different breeding and eclipse plumages. Breeding males have a glossy-black head, nape of the neck and back. Throat, chin, chest and shoulders are orange, while belly, vent and undertail coverts are white, with grey specks on the flanks. The upperwings are cryptic, with a charcoal base and white/orange bars and pale-orange edge lining on the flight feathers. In eclipse head, nape of the neck and back lose their glossy black lustre and turn scalloped grey/dark-grey. Females have duller colours; in particular, their upperparts, head and neck are more brownish-grey to rusty-buff than those of males. The irises of both sexes are dark. The bill is triangular. During the breeding season males have a black bill, while in eclipse they - and females - have a yellow bill with a dark-grey tip. The legs and feet of breeding males are grey, while in eclipse they are pinkish-grey. Females also have pinkish-grey legs and feet.

Taxonomy, classification See Brambling at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the ebird.org website. The global distribution of the Brambling is available HERE . Bramblings are a strongly migratory Eurasian species. They breed in the northern parts of Europe and Asia, roughly above 55 degrees latitude, except the northern coastal fringe, with some reports from the Aleutian islands and the coastal fringe of Alaska. They overwinter in all of western, central and southern Europe, coastal North-west Africa, most of Asia Minor, around the Caucasus mountain range and in moderate to subtropical Asia, as far to the East as Korea and Japan. During migration they can be found anywhere in between. In Europe Bramblings have their breeding grounds northward of a line connecting Oslo with Tallinn, with the exception of southernmost Finland and the far northern coastal fringe. They spend the winters anywhere to the South-west of a line connecting northern Scotland with northern Denmark and the Caucasus mountains. Anywhere in between they can be found during migration. During the breeding season Bramblings have a preference for relatively open upland birch woodland or coniferous forest with some deciduous trees mixed in. In winter they are more flexible and go where there is sufficient food, i.e. seeds.

Sightings Click here for sighting information M. Eaton reports spotting Bramblings at Skjervoy, near Tromso, Norway, in June 2018. J. Pires reports finding Bramblings on two separate occasions at Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, in January 2019. S. Cuturilov reports netting and ringing Bramblings at Vlasina Lake, Serbia, in October 2019.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

BREEDING

Near-frontal view of a male Brambling in breeding plumage; note the black head and bill - the greyish parts may indicate that it is starting to moult into its non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Skjervoy, near Tromso, Norway, June 2018]

NON-BREEDING

Lateral view of a male Brambling in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Vlasina Lake, Serbia, October 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Brambling in non-breeding plumage; note the scalloping on the back and the grey around the nape of the neck (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Skjervoy, near Tromso, Norway, June 2018]

FEMALE

NON-BREEDING

Lateral view of a female Brambling in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Vlasina Lake, Serbia, October 2019]

Distant view of a small flock of Bramblings feeding in a fallow field; female in non-breeding plumage on the right
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, January 2019]

Behaviour

In some years Bramblings form enormous flocks, with numbers ranging in the millions reported e.g. in 2009.

Food, Diet

Distant view of Bramblings in a mixed flock of sparrows and finches feeding in a fallow irrigated peanut field; male in non-breeding plumage on the left, female on the right [with the off-white front] (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, January 2019]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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