Hawfinch
What a great way to start 2018. I didn't quite have the blue skies I was hoping for but the Hawfinch near Barnsley showed beautifully this morning.
Hawfinches are Britain's largest breeding finch, but they are also probably our most elusive. They spend lots of time high in the tree tops or moving about inconspicuously on the woodland floor. When you do manage to see one their massive bill makes them unmistakeable. This outsized bill, plus enormous neck muscles enables Hawfinches to exploit food sources unavailable to other birds. Cherry Stones feature in its diet which it cracks with great force to reach the kernels inside. The force exerted by a Hawfinch's bill can exceed 4kg per square cm. Its scientific name Coccothraustes coccothraustes translates as kernel-cracker. There are also tales of bird ringers almost losing finger tips while handling these bruisers.
The name Hawfinch was first recorded in 1674 but at that time the name Grosbeak was the more popular name. It was not until the early nineteenth century (ie 150 years later) that the name Hawfinch prevailed. Hawthorn berries do form part of their diet but my own observations suggest they prefer Yew, Hornbeam and Field Maple (as here) to Hawthorn. Their body size looks to me to be about the same as a Starling but book measurements are deceptive as the shorter bill of Hawfinch makes it appear smaller on paper. Weights are a better comparison; Hawfinches weigh about 58g, which is more than twice as heavy as a Chaffinch, and more than three times heavier than a Goldfinch.
Unfortunately this beautiful Finch has disappeared from many of its former haunts. There are several sites near to me where I could once guarantee to see Hawfinches but they have all disappeared. Since the 1968-72 Bird Atlas the breeding range has contracted by more than 75%. To put it another way, for every 4 spots on the breeding Atlas in 1972 there is now just one. Numbers have tumbled too, in addition to a range contraction. In the 1988-91 Breeding Bird Atlas the population was estimated to be 3000-6500 pairs but currently the population is estimated as just 500-1000 pairs in the whole of Britain. To put it another way, for every six Hawfinches that were around twenty years ago, there is only one today. This is why any sighting of a Hawfinch is exciting and noteworthy.
Hawfinch
What a great way to start 2018. I didn't quite have the blue skies I was hoping for but the Hawfinch near Barnsley showed beautifully this morning.
Hawfinches are Britain's largest breeding finch, but they are also probably our most elusive. They spend lots of time high in the tree tops or moving about inconspicuously on the woodland floor. When you do manage to see one their massive bill makes them unmistakeable. This outsized bill, plus enormous neck muscles enables Hawfinches to exploit food sources unavailable to other birds. Cherry Stones feature in its diet which it cracks with great force to reach the kernels inside. The force exerted by a Hawfinch's bill can exceed 4kg per square cm. Its scientific name Coccothraustes coccothraustes translates as kernel-cracker. There are also tales of bird ringers almost losing finger tips while handling these bruisers.
The name Hawfinch was first recorded in 1674 but at that time the name Grosbeak was the more popular name. It was not until the early nineteenth century (ie 150 years later) that the name Hawfinch prevailed. Hawthorn berries do form part of their diet but my own observations suggest they prefer Yew, Hornbeam and Field Maple (as here) to Hawthorn. Their body size looks to me to be about the same as a Starling but book measurements are deceptive as the shorter bill of Hawfinch makes it appear smaller on paper. Weights are a better comparison; Hawfinches weigh about 58g, which is more than twice as heavy as a Chaffinch, and more than three times heavier than a Goldfinch.
Unfortunately this beautiful Finch has disappeared from many of its former haunts. There are several sites near to me where I could once guarantee to see Hawfinches but they have all disappeared. Since the 1968-72 Bird Atlas the breeding range has contracted by more than 75%. To put it another way, for every 4 spots on the breeding Atlas in 1972 there is now just one. Numbers have tumbled too, in addition to a range contraction. In the 1988-91 Breeding Bird Atlas the population was estimated to be 3000-6500 pairs but currently the population is estimated as just 500-1000 pairs in the whole of Britain. To put it another way, for every six Hawfinches that were around twenty years ago, there is only one today. This is why any sighting of a Hawfinch is exciting and noteworthy.