Common Chaffinch: Song & calls

  • Song: An accelerating, descending phrase lasting about 2-3 seconds that ends in a characteristic flourish - phonetically something like "chip-chip-chip-chooeeyoo-chooeeyoo-vit-chweet". Each male has its own dialect - the song varies from region to region and young males learn it from their neighbours.
  • Call: The well-known "pink-pink" (or "bink-bink") - heard year-round and one of the most common bird sounds in Sweden.
  • Alarm: A repeated, harsh "wheet" when a bird of prey is overhead; a sharp "tink" for a ground-based threat.

Listen to Common Chaffinch song on xeno-canto and see observations on Artportalen (the Swedish species observation system).

More about the Common Chaffinch

  • Breeding
  • Nest & eggs
  • Diet
  • In winter
  • Male & female
  • Migration
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