Bird GuideFinchesBrambling

Brambling

Brambling
Fringilla montifringilla
At a Glance Range & Identification Back to Top

At a Glance

A common finch of Europe and Asia, the Brambling appears regularly in small numbers in Alaska during migration, straying the short distance across the Bering Sea. Some of those that stray across in autumn apparently then continue south on the American side, and there have been winter records for numerous states and provinces east to the Atlantic Coast and south to Colorado. Many of these vagrant Bramblings have been found visiting bird feeders.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Finches, Perching Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets, Tundra and Boreal Habitats
Region
Alaska and The North
Behavior
Flitter, Rapid Wingbeats, Undulating

Range & Identification

Description

5 3/4-6" (14.5-15.5 cm). Spring males have sharp pattern, with black head and back, orange-buff scapulars and chest, but females and winter males are plainer. Note white rump, tawny chest, stripes on nape.
Size
About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Black, Brown, Orange, Tan, White
Wing Shape
Pointed
Tail Shape
Notched, Square-tipped

Songs and Calls

Extended, wheezy song reminiscent of Greenfinch; also a nasal flight call, sweep.