Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyFringillidae (Fringíl·lids)
- GenusFringilla (Chaffinches and Brambling)
- SpeciesFringilla coelebs (Chaffinch)
The Eurasian chaffinch, common chaffinch, or simply the chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) is a common and widespread small passerine bird – in the finch family. The male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts. The female is more subdued in colouring, but both sexes have two contrasting white wing bars and white sides to the tail. The male bird has a strong voice and sings from exposed perches to attract a mate. The chaffinch breeds in much of Europe, across the Palearctic to Siberia. The female builds a nest with a deep cup in the fork of a tree. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Chaffinch sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 548 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park
Cape Canary
Serinus canicollis
Forest Canary
Crithagra scotops
Brimstone Canary
Crithagra sulphurata
Cape Siskin
Crithagra totta
Yellow Canary
Crithagra flaviventris
Yellow-fronted Canary
Crithagra mozambica
Streaky-headed Seedeater
Crithagra gularis
Red-winged Starling
Onychognathus morio
Cape White-eye
Zosterops virens
Southern Double-collared Sunbird
Cinnyris chalybeus
Cape Bulbul
Pycnonotus capensis
Pied Crow
Corvus albus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Chaffinch in Table Mountain National Park?
About 11% of wildlife watchers report a Chaffinch sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 548 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Chaffinch in Table Mountain National Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Chaffinch in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.