Fringilla coelebs
Fringilla coelebs
The common chaffinch is a widespread species of the western Palearctic (BirdLife International, 2024), extending throughout Europe up to the northern Arctic limits (Keller et al., 2020). In Spain it occurs across the entire territory, including the Balearic Islands, and in the Canary Islands it is represented by the subspecies complex F. canariensis (Illera et al., 2019). It is absent from agricultural, treeless, and arid areas in the Iberian Peninsula (Recuerda et al., 2021; Cano-Barbacil & Cano in SEO/BirdLife, 2022). In Ceuta and Melilla it is represented by the subspecies F. c. africana.
In Madrid it is abundant throughout the territory, although it is more scattered in the southeast and absent from some urban areas in the central zone. It occurs in all types of woodland, showing a preference for holm oak, oak, and pine forests in the region (Díaz et al., 1994).
The common chaffinch is widely distributed throughout the national park and is one of the most abundant species. It occupies all forested areas on the slopes and lower-altitude zones, being absent only from treeless areas at higher altitudes.
It is a forest bird that can be found in all types of woodland environments. It breeds in coniferous, broadleaf, and deciduous forests, in mixed forests, and in plantations; it is also present in human-altered environments with some tree cover. In Spain, it is abundant in holm oak forests, oak woods, and riparian forests, while the Canary Island subspecies breed in laurel forests and Canary pine forests (Tellería et al., 1999).
In the national park it is clearly associated with coniferous forest stands, but it is also frequent in deciduous forests. It reaches notable densities in open shrublands and grasslands, possibly used as feeding areas. It is absent from the highest-altitude zones.
At a global scale it is considered a Least Concern species (LC; 2019). In Europe it would also be classified in the same category (LC; 2021). In Spain it is listed as Least Concern in the 2021 Red List, although the populations of the Canary Island subspecies are considered Near Threatened.
The Catalogue of Threatened Species of the Community of Madrid (1992) does not place the species in any threat category.
BirdLife International 2024 IUCN Red List for birds. https://datazone.birdlife.org.
Díaz, M., Martí, R., Gómez-Manzaneque, Á. y Sánchez, A. 1994. Atlas de las aves nidificantes en Madrid. Agencia de Medio Ambiente y SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.
Keller, V., Herrando, S., Voříšek, P., Franch, M., Kipson, M., Milanesi, P., Martí, D., Antón, M., Klvaňová, A., Kalyakin, M. V. Bauer, H. Gr y Foppen, R. P. B. 2020. European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: Distribution, Abundance and Change. European Birds Census Council y Lynx Edicions. Barcelona.
Recuerda, M., Illera, J. C., Blanco, G., Zardoya, R. y Milá, B. 2021. Sequential colonization of oceanic archipelagos led to a species-level radiation in the common chaffinch complex (Aves: Fringilla coelebs). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 164: 107291.
SEO/BirdLife (Molina, B., Nebreda, A., Muñoz, A. R., Seoane, J., Real, R., Bustamante, J. y Del Moral, J. C., eds.) 2022. III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.
Tellería, J. L., Asensio, B. y Díaz, M. 1999. Aves ibéricas. II. Paseriformes. J. M. Reyero Editor. Madrid.