Eurasian Bullfinch

Eurasian Bullfinch

Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at London

In 3 days <5%

165 Verified sightings at London
3,090 In all 22 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eurasian Bullfinch

The Eurasian bullfinch or common bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) is a small passerine bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. In Anglophone Europe it is known simply as the bullfinch (English regional, Shropshire: plum bird), as it is the original bird to bear the name bullfinch.

The Eurasian bullfinch was formally described in 1758 by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia pyrrhula. It is now placed in the genus Pyrrhula that was introduced in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. The Latin word pyrrhula comes from the Greek πυρρός (a flame-coloured bird, from πυρρός 'flame-coloured', from πυρ 'fire': Pyrrha), a 'worm eating bird' that is mentioned by Aristotle. The Latin name pyrrhula for the Eurasian bullfinch had been used in 1555 by the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner in his Historiae animalium. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:31

Sweden · 2026

© Lars Edenius · XC1077468 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:32

France · 2021

© Camille Monnet · XC657517 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:46

Portugal · 2018

© Bruno Silva · XC417869 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
~30%
2 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
~30%
3 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
4 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~20%
5 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~20%
6 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
7 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
8 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
9 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
10 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
11 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
12 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
13 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
14 Nikko National Park 🇯🇵 Japan
~10%
15 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
16 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
17 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
18 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
19 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
20 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
21 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
22 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~40%
2 Minsk 🇧🇾 Belarus
~40%
3 Yekaterinburg 🇷🇺 Russia
~40%
4 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
5 Saint Petersburg 🇷🇺 Russia
~30%
6 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
~30%
7 Hamburg 🇩🇪 Germany
~30%
8 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~20%
9 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~20%
10 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Dresden Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
2 Inokashira Park Zoo 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
3 Zoopark Limpopo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
4 Alpenzoo Innsbruck 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
5 Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Eurasian Bullfinch in London?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Bullfinch sighting in London on a given day, based on 165 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 126th most-seen of the 203 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Eurasian Bullfinch in London?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Bullfinch in London on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Eurasian Bullfinch?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Bullfinch sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is London the best place to see a Eurasian Bullfinch?

37th of 41

Of the 41 cities where we can rate Eurasian Bullfinch sightings, London ranks 37th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 40%), Minsk (Belarus, about 40%) and Yekaterinburg (Russia, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Eurasian Bullfinch live in London?

Same family: Fringillidae

The closest relatives of the Eurasian Bullfinch that you can see in London (family Fringillidae, Finches, Euphonias, and Allies) are Eurasian Goldfinch (about 50%), European Greenfinch (about 30%) and Chaffinch (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Eurasian Bullfinch sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Bullfinch is recorded against all the birds logged in London (165 verified sightings), 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.

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