Madeira chaffinch

The Madeira chaffinch (Fringilla maderensis) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the Eurasian chaffinch, but was recently revised to be a species in its own right, following a genetic and morphological analysis of the genus Fringilla in 2021.^[1][2][3] It is endemic to the Portuguese island of Madeira, part of Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is locally known as the tentilhão.

Madeira chaffinch
Male
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Fringillidae
Subfamily:	Fringillinae
Genus:	Fringilla
Species:	F. maderensis
Binomial name
Fringilla maderensis Sharpe, 1888
Synonyms
Fringilla coelebs maderensis Fringilla tintillon madeirensis Koenig, 1890

Description

The male is more brightly coloured than the female. It has a pinkish breast, bluish-grey cap and greenish-brown back. The female's colouring is more subdued with a cream breast and brownish back, but both sexes have prominent white wing-bars and tail-sides. The length is 14.5–16 cm (5.7–6.3 in).^[4]

Distribution and habitat

The chaffinch is found only on the island of Madeira, being absent from other islands in the Madeira archipelago. It is widespread through the hills of the island, occupying both the native laurisilva forest and plantations of introduced trees, as well as in areas of heath, farmland and shrubland.^[4]

Behaviour

Breeding

The Madeira chaffinch nests between April and July. The female builds a cup-shaped nest lined with feathers in which she lays a clutch of four or five eggs and which she alone incubates for 12–15 days before they hatch. The male helps to feed the chicks.^[4]