Fringilla montifringilla

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Passeroidea

Familia: Fringillidae
Subfamilia: Fringillinae
Genus: Fringilla
Species: Fringilla montifringilla
Name

Fringilla montifringilla Linnaeus, 1758
References

Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio Decima, Reformata. Tomus I. Holmiæ (Stockholm): impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. 824 pp. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542 BHL p. 179 BHL Reference page.

Vernacular names
العربية: شرشور جبلي
asturianu: Pimpím Rial
башҡортса: Аҡбауыр турғай
беларуская: Звычайны юрок
български: Планинска чинка
brezhoneg: Pint an hanternoz
català: Pinsà mec
čeština: Pěnkava jikavec
Cymraeg: Pinc mynydd
dansk: Kvækerfinke
Deutsch: Bergfink
Ελληνικά: Χειμωνόσπιννος
English: Brambling
Esperanto: Montofringo
español: Pinzón Real
eesti: Põhjavint
euskara: Negu-txonta
فارسی: سهره دمگاه‌سفید
suomi: Järripeippo
føroyskt: Fjallígða
français: Pinson du Nord
Frysk: Kwekfink
Gaeilge: Breacán
Gàidhlig: Bricein Caorainn
galego: Pimpín real
Gaelg: Corkan drine
עברית: פרוש הרים
hrvatski: Sjeverna Zeba
magyar: Fenyőpinty
հայերեն: Սովորական սերինոս
íslenska: Fjallafinka
italiano: Peppola
日本語: アトリ
ქართული: მთიულა
қазақша: Кезеген торғай
한국어: 되새
коми: Пинькай
kernowek: Tynk meneth
Latina: Montifringilla
Lëtzebuergesch: Éislécker Poufank
Limburgs: Keep
lietuvių: Šiaurinis kikilis
latviešu: Ziemas žubīte
македонски: Планинска звингалка
монгол: Алаг бужирга
кырык мары: Алавирӹк
Malti: Sponsun Selvaġġ
Nedersaksies: Kweevink
नेपाली: कालोटाउके चित्रकचरी
Nederlands: Keep
norsk nynorsk: Bjørkefink
norsk: Bjørkefink
Nouormand: Pînchon d'France
polski: Jer
português: Tentilhão-montês
rumantsch: Fringhel dal nord
română: Cinteză de iarna
русский: Вьюрок
саха тыла: Харыйа чыычааҕа
Scots: Cock o the north
davvisámegiella: Vintán
slovenčina: Pinka severská
slovenščina: Pinoža
shqip: Zboraksi i malit
српски / srpski: Планинска зеба / Planinska zeba, Северна зеба / Severna zeba
svenska: Bergfink
ไทย: นกจาบปีกอ่อนอกส้ม
Türkçe: Dağ ispinozu
українська: В'юрок
vèneto: Montan
Tiếng Việt: Sẻ núi
West-Vlams: Nôordvienke
walon: Fagnåd
Zeêuws: Keepvinke
中文: 燕雀

The brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It has also been called the cock o' the north and the mountain finch. It is widespread and migratory, often seen in very large flocks.
Taxonomy

In 1758 Linnaeus included the species in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under its current binomial name, Fringilla montifringilla.[2][3] Montifringilla is from Latin mons, montis mountain and fringilla finch.[4] The English name "bramlyng" (Bram “loud” + lyng “lung”) was used in 1544 by the English naturalist William Turner but later in the 16th century the current spelling "brambling" was used.[5][6][7] The etymology of the name is uncertain as the bird is not associated with the bramble or common blackberry Rubus fruticosus.[8]
Description

The brambling is similar in size and shape to a common chaffinch. Breeding-plumaged male bramblings are very distinctive, with a black head, dark upperparts, orange breast and white belly. Females and younger birds are less distinct, and more similar in appearance to some chaffinches. In all plumages, however, bramblings differs from chaffinches in a number of features:

the brambling has a white rump, whereas that of the common chaffinch is grey-green;
the breast is orange, contrasting with a white belly, on the brambling, whereas on the common chaffinch, the underparts are more uniformly coloured (pink or buff);
the brambling's scapular feathers are orange, whereas the common chaffinch's are grey or grey-brown;
the flanks are dark-spotted on the brambling, plain on the common chaffinch;
bramblings lack the white outer tail feathers of common chaffinches.

An additional difference for all plumages except breeding-plumaged males is the bill colour - yellow in the brambling, dull pinkish in the common chaffinch (breeding-plumaged male bramblings have black bills, common chaffinches in the corresponding plumage have grey bills).[9]

Measurements:

Length: 16 cm[10]
Weight: 23-29 g[10]
Wingspan: 25–26 cm[11]

Distribution and habitat
Male and female in Poland

This bird is widespread, in the breeding season, throughout the forests of northern Europe and east across the Palearctic. It is migratory, wintering in southern Europe, North Africa, northern India, northern Pakistan, China, and Japan.[1] It frequently strays into Alaska during migration and there are scattered records across the northern United States and southern Canada.[12] The global population of bramblings is about 100 to 200 million, with a decreasing trend.[1]

Open coniferous or birch woodland is favoured for breeding.[9]
Migration

This species is almost entirely migratory. In Europe, it forms large flocks in the winter, sometimes with thousands or even millions of birds in a single flock.[13][14] Such large gatherings occur especially if beech mast is abundant. Bramblings do not require beech mast in the winter, but winter flocks of bramblings will move until they find it. This may be an adaptation to avoid competition with the common chaffinch.[15]
Behaviour
Eggs, Muséum de Toulouse
Breeding

Bramblings first breed when they are one year old. The nest is usually placed high in a tree against the trunk. It is built by the female and consists of an outer layer which may contain lichen, grass, heather, cobwebs and strips of bark from birch or juniper trees. It is lined with feathers, soft grass and hair. The eggs are laid at daily intervals. The clutch usually contains 5-7 eggs. They range from light blue to dark olive-brown and have pink to rusty red spots and blotches. On average they measure 19.4 mm × 14.5 mm (0.76 in × 0.57 in) and have a calculated weight of 2.14 g (0.075 oz). Starting after the last egg has been laid, they are incubated by the female and hatch after 11-12 days. The young are fed and cared for by both parents and fledge after 13-14 days. Often only one brood is raised each year but two broods can be raised in northwest Russia.[16]

The nests can be predated by the carrion crow (Corvus corone) and the Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus). The nest are often parasitized by the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus).[16]
Food and feeding

Bramblings mostly eat seeds[9] in winter, but insects in summer.[17]
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Fringilla montifringilla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22720041A88203665. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22720041A88203665.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Paynter, Raymond A. Jnr., ed. (1968). Check-list of birds of the world, Volume 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 206.
Linnaeus, C. (1766). Systema Naturæ per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Volume 1 (in Latin) (10th ed.). Holmiae:Laurentii Salvii. p. 179.
Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
Turner, William (1544). Avium praecipuarum, quarum apud Plinium et Aristotelem mentio est, brevis et succincta historia. [Cologne]: Johann Gymnicus. Pages are unnumbered.
Turner, William (1903) [1544]. Turner on birds: a short and succinct history of the principal birds noticed by Pliny and Aristotle first published by Doctor William Turner, 1544 (in Latin and English). Translated by Evans, A.H. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 72.
Veron, John (1575). "Montifrigilla". A Dictionary in Latine and English. London: H. Middleton for J. Harrison. Pages unnumbered.
Lockwood, William Burley (1993) [1984]. The Oxford Dictionary of British Bird Names (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-19-866196-2.
Mullarney, Killian; Svensson, Lars; Zetterstrom, Dan; Grant, Peter (1999). Collins Bird Guide. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-219728-6.
Oiseaux.net. "Pinson du Nord - Fringilla montifringilla - Brambling". www.oiseaux.net. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
"Brambling Bird Facts | Fringilla Montifringilla". The RSPB. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
"eBird Brambling Species Map". Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
Jenni, L. (1987). "Mass concentrations of Bramblings Fringilla montifringilla in Europe 1900–1983: their dependence upon beech mast and the effect of snow-cover". Ornis Scandinavica. 18 (2): 84–94. doi:10.2307/3676843. JSTOR 3676843.
Svensson, T. (2021). "A review of mass concentrations of Bramblings Fringilla montifringilla: implications for assessment of large numbers of birds". Ornis Svecica. 31: 44–67. arXiv:2010.08465. doi:10.34080/os.v31.22031.
Newton, Ian (1973). Finches. The New Naturalist Library 55. New York: Taplinger. pp. 26–30. ISBN 0-8008-2720-1.
Cramp 1994, p. 494.

"RSPB: Brambling". Retrieved 7 January 2019.

Sources

Cramp, Stanley; et al., eds. (1994). "Frigilla montifringilla Brambling". Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 8: Crows to Finches. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 479–497. ISBN 978-0-19-854679-5.