Booth Museum Bird of the Month, July 2020: Bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula

This is a legacy story from an earlier version of our website. It may contain some formatting issues and broken links.

Keep a look out for Bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula this month.

UK conservation status: Amber

Bullfinch pairs stay near to each other all year round, not only when they are nesting and raising young. The male has a bright chest, while the female is duller, though they both have distinctive black caps and wide beaks. Bullfinches feed on buds of trees and in the past were regarded as ‘pests’ of fruit trees. They also eat seeds and have been increasing as garden visitors. They have special throat sacs to carry food back to their young, allowing them to forage further away.

Why not come and have a look at the Booth Museum specimens once we reopen and compare them with any you’ve managed to photograph (or our sample images).