Bullfinch

Bullfinch is a name given to two groups of passerine birds.

Overview

The true bullfinches are thick-billed finches in the passerine family Fringillidae. They comprise the genus Pyrrhula. These birds are restricted to the Old World, and they include the following:

• Eurasian bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula
• Brown bullfinch, Pyrrhula nipalensis
• White-cheeked bullfinch, Pyrrhula leucogenis
• Orange bullfinch, Pyrrhula aurantiaca
• Red-headed bullfinch, Pyrrhula erythrocephala
• Grey-headed bullfinch, Pyrrhula erythaca
• Azores bullfinch, Pyrrhula murina

There is an unrelated group of New World birds also named as bullfinches because of their superficial resemblances to the above species. These passerines were placed in the large bunting and American "sparrow" family Emberizidae, but are now considered tanagers (Thraupidae). Four are in the genus Loxigilla:

• Puerto Rican bullfinch, Loxigilla portoricensis
• Greater Antillean bullfinch, Loxigilla violacea
• Lesser Antillean bullfinch, Loxigilla noctis
• Barbados bullfinch, Loxigilla barbadensis

The fifth is

• Cuban bullfinch, Melopyrrha nigra

References

External links

• Bullfinch videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection