Chaffinch: bird song and calls
By James Duncan
Communities and Wildlife Officer
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Let's start with the Chaffinch, our most familiar British Finch. Perhaps surprisingly it's the UK's third commonest breeding bird after Wren and Robin, estimated at more than 6 million pairs. It was originally a woodland species but has since branched out into farmland, parks, gardens, towns, pretty much anywhere in fact. There's little doubt it's a supremely adaptable bird, thriving in areas with Oak, where a plentiful supply of invertebrates are found. They are of course often seen foraging on the ground and it's always a joy to see their flashy salmon pink and blue-grey combination. Considering their abundance, there's something about the Chaffinch which is probably much overlooked - it's absolutely beautiful, though admittedly, in contrast, the female is somewhat drabber.
The Chaffinch is also responsible for the very naming of its entire family. The second half of the name is a prime example of onomatepeia. That is, they're named after the sound they make. Its striking, monosyllabic social call is really characteristic once learned and is uttered when the bird is perched - transliterated as 'pink' or 'spink.' In fact the second of these is still used as another name for the bird in parts of Northern England. This call may be uttered singly, as a double note or even extended into a short series. The word 'Finch' in fact derives from the old English, 'finc' and though the call has been somewhat lost in the English translation, it's far more apparent in Dutch (vink), German (fink) and Scandinavian (finke). As with many bird calls, it can serve a variety of purposes, including - a bird separated from its flock or mate, a bird in immediate danger, a bird wishing to rally other Chaffinches to mob an intruder and even a territorial bird behaving aggressively towards another Chaffinch.
Chaffinch vocabulary is complex and demonstrates a surprising level of sophistication. In addition to its song, it's thought to have around ten different calls. Along with the Great Tit, Chaffinch may be the other species most commonly associated with 'unidentifiable' woodland calls.
Listen to this call below -
Ultimately though it's the song that provides the Chaffinch with its cheery disposition. It's a simple, bright and loud, two or three note-rattling verse that's consistent in its delivery. It tends to begin with a few rapid sharp notes, progressively decreasing into a similar set of notes at a lower tone, prior to ending with a lovely flourish known as a cadence. If the winter is mild this song can sometimes be heard early in the year, though it seems the Chaffinch often needs a bit of practice before hitting the right notes! In their prime the birds repeat this phrase endlessly, up to six times a minute and three thousand times a day. Most famously the song has been likened to the run-up of a cricketer to the wicket. Imagine the initial trill as the running footsteps and the cadence as the bowling action. Chaffinches are also well known for a propensity for regional variation - the song alters across both counties and countries, though typically just the structure of the final cadence. This fact is even demonstrated in writings as far back as the 17th century. In days gone by birds from Essex were known as 'chuckwados' and birds from Kent as 'kiss-me-dears.'
Listen to the song in this video -
The Chaffinch is also known for having a so-called 'rain-song.' It has been considered to predict impending rain, though you may not want to use it as an alternative to the weather forecast. It's certainly not the most melodic part of their repertoire and is typically heard as a territorial call within the breeding season, though occasionally as an alarm. It has a distinct 'rolling' quality, albeit very rapid in delivery. As with the song this call is subject to an extensive variety of regional dialects, particularly between the Northern and Southern extent of its breeding distribution, though this may be complicated further by the variety of Chaffinch subspecies found across Europe.
Listen to this call below -
Of the many calls exhibited by the Chaffinch, another of the more common is a forceful, upwards-inflected piping whistle. It may be repeated tirelessly (much like the call above) and sits somewhere between the call of both Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, though it's usually significantly louder. It may be transliterated as an insistent "hueet." Once again it's worth noting this call is subject to significant geographical variation, often heard without the up-slurring, reinforcing the complexity of their vocalisations.
Listen to this call below -
In contrast to the bolder, more forthright calls, the flight call of the Chaffinch is rather unobtrusive and gentle. It's a softly spoken "yupp, yup, yup" that's uttered by individuals and migrant flocks, particularly as a means of flock coordination. It may also be heard from a bird intending to take flight. Though surprisingly subtle, it's this very quality that makes it recognisable. It's lower and weaker than the harder-edged Greenfinch flight calls and the notes don't have the 'bounce' that's characteristic of both Linnet and Goldfinch.
Listen to this call below -
Comments
Pretty sure from reading/listening to this, it’s the chaffinch who either says ‘ginger beer’ or ‘pleased to meet you’ at the end of his call around our way!
24 Jun 2022 17:44:00
Pretty sure from reading/listening to this, it’s the chaffinch who either says ‘ginger beer’ or ‘pleased to meet you’ at the end of his call around our way!
25 Jun 2022 15:50:00
Excellent recordings of calls very useful. I know it’s song but calls are a different matter. I now know what it is in the woods at the back of my garden that has been irritating me bacause I don’t know what it was. Thank you James
30 Jun 2022 18:59:00
Enjoyed listening to the Chaffinch. I was familiar with its song but, until now, would never have been able to identify it. Thank you.
01 Jul 2022 06:17:00
Great sounds and details thanks
01 Jul 2022 07:32:00
I loved getting this , great project.
01 Jul 2022 07:44:00
I see around just 10 different songbirds in/near my garden and despite listening to various recordings of them all repeatedly, I am often unable to identify a call/song. Most recordings provide just the main song and call. Thank you for including a range. If this continues with other species I can now hope to do better in future. Thank you again.
01 Jul 2022 09:24:00
Brilliant! Thank you! So much I don’t know about bird song let alone all the calls and what they mean. I shall learn lots!
02 Jul 2022 07:51:00
Thank you, i have heard these calls many times over the years and never realised that it was a chaffinch! I cant wait to get out there and now recognise it!
02 Jul 2022 14:00:00
Really interesting, thanks. I was a little disappointed at first as the chaffinch song is one I easily identify. But it was great to learn about the ‘huet’ call as I’ve often heard it but never knew who was making it. Lots more new (to me) information, too – much appreciated.
04 Jul 2022 11:00:00
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to the clips and reading the explanations.
A delight. Will keep coming back to hear it again.
Thank you – it’s an excellent idea
05 Jul 2022 09:49:00
Good description & excellent recording, I have heard these calls, and used to attribute these to Great Tit.
07 Jul 2022 15:02:00
Great write-up on the chaffinch. Did not realise they had many different calls.
08 Jul 2022 13:13:00
Yes very familiar song but didn’t know what it was in the trees, lovely!
08 Jul 2022 19:23:00
Oh,I like this a lot! Like most folk I recognise many songs but the extra info. On communication is excellent ,thank you.
11 Jul 2022 11:26:00
You’ve helped me to finally identify that call. Thank you!
16 Jul 2022 07:18:00
So helpful! Looking forward to hearing all the other birds singing too and hopefully being able to distinguish some of the the more strident calls being made by great tits and chaffinches.
Thank you!
12 Apr 2023 15:27:00
When I joined my school bird watching club we were told the chaffinch call was. ( A little bit of bread and no cheese,)
The school micky-takers called it the chicken club.
It did not stop a lifetime pleasure of bird watching.
13 Apr 2023 11:13:00
Very informative and interesting. Have heard this call often, but never known which bird was making it. Really looking forward to learning more and putting it into practice when I’m out walking.
14 Apr 2023 06:28:00
This is a wonderful project, thank you!
17 Apr 2023 08:24:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
So glad you're enjoying it
Thank you! So helpful to include a wealth of detail about the different calls and songs.
28 Apr 2023 11:32:00
Thank you! So helpful to include a wealth of detail about the different calls and songs.
30 Apr 2023 05:58:00
I didn’t realise birds had a number of calls! So helpful, thanks.
04 May 2023 11:51:00
Very interesting and informative. Looking forward to the next one.
08 May 2023 17:37:00
Love this, recently moved out of town & have a garden with lots of birds so at the start of my journey to identifying them, thank you
11 May 2023 06:56:23
Thank you for doing this. It is a lot of fun!
11 May 2023 14:45:00
This is the only call I thought I recognised. Had been told it was like a bowler running up to deliver a cricket ball – step, step, step, step, pause, throw! Howzat…
21 May 2023 08:49:00
I have a chaffinch next to my house, driving me totally mad !!! it wakes me with this ‘rain call’ around 4.30am and it continues ALL day until 8pm, continuously. It is so monotonous and so so loud, being outside gardening is irritating and then even inside I have to go to the other side of the house just to get away from the noise. I long for 8pm, it sounds like a squeaky gate hinge. Is this same bird likely to return every year ? Wish it would sing like the first clip – I do love bird song just not this one !!!
31 May 2023 20:30:00
I heard a Chaffinch this morning for the first time. How did I know it was a Chaffinch? I googled which bird has a song that sounds like ‘pleased to meet you’. It seems we have several in our woodland in West Sussex.
06 Jun 2023 09:00:00
I found the write up about the chaffinch very interesting. Also hearing the different calls they make. I look forward to comparing them with the calls/songs of other birds. This is brilliant, thank you so much.
06 Jun 2023 18:23:00
So great to learn about the diversity of calls, as well as the song. Useful and interesting lesson.
07 Mar 2024 14:16:00
This a great lesson which I really enjoyed! Thank you!
07 Mar 2024 15:48:00
I was very honoured to have a Chaffinch land on my bird table last year, I haven’t seen one in years but it was a delight to have him visit.
07 Mar 2024 18:18:00
lots of detail about the chaffinch and its calls thank you
08 Mar 2024 11:11:00
Thanks for the interesting variety of chaffinch calls. The hueet was a call I’d often heard in woodlands but never been able to identify.
I was surprised to hear how common they are as we seem to see them less often in town than we used to.
09 Mar 2024 07:38:00
And there we were thinking we knew the song of the Chaffinch! A great project and we’re really looking forward to the next one. Thank you, James.
9th March 2024
09 Mar 2024 15:16:00
Thank you for these bird call examples. Is interesting and helpful.
11 Mar 2024 11:02:00
Fascinating.. Such a variety of calls. I’ve learned a lot!
18 Mar 2024 09:54:00
Heard a chaffinch making an unusual whirring sound whilst it was rooting about in my raised bed. Anyone else heard this?
21 Mar 2026 15:18:00
Heard a chaffinch making an unusual whirring sound whilst it was rooting about in my raised bed. Anyone else heard this?
22 Mar 2026 23:05:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
This sounds unusual - not the usual 'chink chink' sound? ~ Charlie P.