chaffinch

noun

chaf·​finch ˈcha-(ˌ)finch 

: a common European finch (Fringilla coelebs of the family Frangillidae) of which the male has a pinkish-brown breast

Examples of chaffinch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Studies claiming to show something about a species as a whole—that green sea turtles migrate a certain distance, say, or how chaffinches respond to the song of a rival—may say more about individual animals that were captured or housed in a certain way, or that share certain genetic features. —Elizabeth Preston, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2023

Studies claiming to show something about a species as a whole — that green sea turtles migrate a certain distance, say, or how chaffinches respond to the song of a rival — may say more about individual animals that were captured or housed in a certain way, or that share certain genetic features. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2023

The group froze at every chirp of a thrush or chaffinch, one hand holding the binoculars, the other a tombstone for balance. —Constant Méheut, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2022

Now, Hendry and colleagues have updated and expanded the original data set with more than 5,000 additional examples: everything from the cranial depth of the common chaffinch to the lifespan of the Trinidadian guppy. —Amit Katwala, Wired, 4 Feb. 2022

Up in the peaks of central Madeira, visitors can spot plain swifts swooping through the sky, while the island’s trees are often packed full of Madeiran chaffinches, a subspecies of the European common chaffinch. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2021

Sparrows, chaffinches, linnets, and several coastal African birds arrived to the island in 1863. —National Geographic, 8 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English ceaffinc, from ceaf + finc finch

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above