Brambling

The Brambling of the North has the same size as the common Chaffinch which serves as a reference. It is usually a species which does not pose any identification problems. There is a sexual dimorphism, as is usually the case with finches. The species is monotypic, meaning that there are no subspecies. The adult male in breeding plumage can be recognized by the black cap covering his head and carrying on to the mantle and upper back and the beautiful orange colour covering his throat and the upper part of his chest and spilling over onto the wings. The white rump, a determining criterion, can only be seen when in flight. Finally, there is the typical call which will be discussed in the next chapter. This is enough for identification. One can also note the white belly and undertail, the sides speckled with dark brown, the dark eye, black beak and rosy legs. In winter, as we can see when the species winters with us, the male has lost the black on his head and back and resembles a female. Indeed, the feathers on these zones are edged with dark brown and fade to brown-grey. The sides and back of the neck are grey. The beak becomes yellow-lemon at the base. Compared to a female, the orange colour is more intense and the head darker. The eye is surrounded by a complete or incomplete beige eye-ring. The adult female resembles the male in winter plumage. The orange colour is however less pronounced. The face and sides of the head are more uniform and paler, brown-beige, which makes the dark brown lines on the sides of the crown more visible. The sides and back of the neck are grey. The beak is yellow, more or less darkened at the end. In winter, the plumage is very similar. We can simply note a paler beak and dark scapular feathers. The juvenile is female-like, with the feathers on the upper parts, from the crown to the back, largely edged in beige-ochre.This gives the head a speckled appearance and above the body, a scaly look. This plumage disappeared during the post-nuptial migration and is therefore not visible in temperate Europe. First-winter birds are very difficult to distinguish from older birds in winter. This depends on small details that we will not address.