Common Chaffinch
Song & Calls

The Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) is a songbird found throughout Europe, the UK, parts of western Asia and coastal north Africa. It is an adaptable species and found in a range of habitats from woodlands to urban parks and gardens and is one of the commonest breeding bird species in the United Kingdom.

What does a chaffinch sound like? The cheery song & loud ‘pink’ calls of the Chaffinch are a familar sound throughout much of it’s distribution. The typical song of the male Chaffinch consists of a descending rattle of musical notes followed by accelerated ending. These strident songs are usually repeated from a prominent perch in a tree. The quieter ‘subsong’ is given by both sexes and is usually heard from birds on the ground or concealed in dense cover.

Chaffinches also make a range of other calls including short, sharp, “pink” or “chink” notes, soft ‘yuep’ flight calls and an upslurred ‘huet’ whistle. Interestingly, another call-type of this species, the so-called ‘rain-song’ or ‘rain-call’ is thought by some to indicate impending rainfall, although this is disputed.