The Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) is the northern cousin of the Common Chaffinch, a medium-sized finch 14–16 cm long with a wingspan of about 25–26 cm and a weight of 19–30 g. In breeding plumage the male has a glossy black head and back, a bright orange breast and shoulder patch, and a contrasting white rump that shows clearly in flight — the surest way to tell it from the Chaffinch, which has a grey-green rump. In winter the black head becomes mottled brown and more subdued, while the female is paler and browner overall but shares the same pattern, including the white rump. The most common call is a nasal, buzzing "tsjäh" often heard from flying or resting flocks, and the song is a dry, monotonous buzzing tone, far less musical than the Chaffinch's rolling phrase.
Bramblings breed in the birch and coniferous forests of northern Sweden and Norway, building a well-camouflaged cup nest in a tree fork, often birch; the female lays 6–7 eggs and incubates them for about two weeks, with both parents feeding the young insects until they fledge after nearly two weeks. Outside the breeding season the species can be seen throughout Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and as a short-distance migrant its wintering pattern is governed by the beech mast crop — in years with a rich harvest, millions of Bramblings can gather in southern beech forests and remain all winter, often visiting garden feeders alongside other finches. The Swedish breeding population is estimated at roughly 100,000–500,000 pairs, and the species is classified as Least Concern (LC).
Read about this species in Swedish →