Coccothraustes coccothraustes
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is the only extant species placed in the genus Coccothraustes. Its closest living relatives are the genus Eophona of East Asia, and Hesperiphona of Central and North America.
This bird breeds across Europe and temperate Asia (Palearctic). It is mainly resident in Europe, but many Asian birds migrate further south in the winter. It is a rare vagrant to the western islands of Alaska. Deciduous or mixed woodland, including parkland, with large trees – especially hornbeam – is favoured for breeding. The hawfinch builds its nest in a bush or tree, and lays 2–7 eggs. The food is mainly seeds and fruit kernels, especially those of cherries, which it cracks with its powerful bill. This large finch species is usually seen in a pair or small group.
The 16.5–18 cm long hawfinch is a bulky bull-headed bird, which appears very short-tailed in flight. Its head is orange-brown with a black eyestripe and bib, and a massive bill, which is black in summer but paler in winter. The upper parts are dark brown and the underparts orange.
The white wing bars and tail tip are striking in flight. The sexes are similar. The call is a hard chick. The song of this unobtrusive bird is quiet and mumbled. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 4 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 5 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 9 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 10 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 11 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 12 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 13 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 14 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 15 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 16 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 17 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 18 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 19 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 20 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 21 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Kaliningrad Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Beijing Wildlife Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Kharkiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 5 | Tierpark Hexentanzplatz | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Leningrad Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Zoopark Limpopo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Kharkiv Dolphinarium | 🇺🇦 Ukraine |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hawfinch sighting in Cévennes National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 118th most-seen of the 126 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hawfinch in Cévennes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–September and December–February, the lowest months. Those are among Cévennes National Park's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain a month against 35 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hawfinch sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
16th of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Hawfinch sightings, Cévennes National Park ranks 16th at under 5%. The best odds are in Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 50%), Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 30%) and Gauja National Park (Latvia, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Fringillidae
The closest relatives of the Hawfinch that you can see in Cévennes National Park (family Fringillidae, Finches, Euphonias, and Allies) are Chaffinch (about 70%), European Serin (about 30%) and Eurasian Goldfinch (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hawfinch is recorded against all the birds logged in Cévennes National Park (27 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
