Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
chaffinch

chaffinch

1 9.7
A small European songbird with a blue-grey head and pinkish belly that sings cheerfully
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃæf.ɪntʃ/
  • UK
translation icon : pinzón
  • The male chaffinch has a distinctive blue-grey cap and pinkish underparts.
  • chaffinch nest

Examples

  • The nest of a chaffinch, for example, has a mossy wall; feathers, hair, and plant down line the inside of this wall.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The chaffinch, for example, employs silk to attach a cover of lichens to the mossy cup of its nest.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The chaffinch, a common garden and woodland species, is one of them.

    Academic text (1994)

  • So the chaffinches are being selective, but what is the basis of their choice?

    Academic text (1994)

  • Chaffinch nests are generally well supported below and at the sides by small twigs, but the silk provides additional security.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The chaffinch's technique of nest attachment pales in comparison with the sophisticated arrangements of some tropical species.

    Academic text (1994)

  • In spring, you can often hear the cheerful song of the chaffinch in the garden.

  • A chaffinch usually builds its nest in dense shrubs to protect its young from predators.

Synonyms

spink
vschaffinch
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small songbird like a chaffinch that sings cheerfully

is the modern common name rather than an archaic term
Fringilla coelebs
vschaffinch
  • Specialized
9.9

A small European finch with a cheerful song

is the everyday descriptive name used for the species

Surface Forms

chaffinch singular
chaffinches plural

Morphology

chaffinch = chaff + finch (semi-transparent) = chaff + finch

The components 'chaff' and 'finch' are clear English words, but 'chaffinch' is a lexicalized species name; knowledge of the parts helps but does not fully convey the specific bird.

Etymology

The word chaffinch comes from the older words chaff and finch. Here chaff means 'grain husks' and the bird was often seen feeding among those husks in fields, so the name tells us it is a small finch you find in farmland.