The Common Chaffinch is a medium-sized, well-proportioned finch with distinctive white wing bars that show clearly in flight. In the breeding season the male is one of the most colourful birds in Sweden.
Male: Blue-grey crown and nape, red-brown to orange-red back, wine-red breast sides and belly, green rump, black wings with two clear white wing bars. The colours are at their most intense in April-May after the spring moult.
Female: Grey brown-green upperparts, buff underparts without the red tones; shares the male's white wing bars and green rump - both diagnostic in flight.
Juvenile/immature: Like the female but more heavily streaked; white wing bars visible from the start.
Winter: The male is somewhat paler but still recognisable; gathers in fl