CHAFFINCH
The chaffinch is a wonderful little bird whose singing heralds springtime and brightens up our summers. The male although small, is a distinctive little chap, with reddish pink face and underparts, a blue crown, chestnut back and a black spot between the eyes. In flight, the bold white wing bars stand out against dark wings and a greenish rump can sometimes be spotted. The flight itself is undulating with fast wingbeats interspersed with glides with closed wings. The female is similar to a female house sparrow but lacks the bold streaks on its back. Their heads are pale olive and undersides are a pale grey. They also have the white wing bars, but the wings are lighter in colour than the males.
Chaffinches can be seen all over Kefalonia. I have seen them on the mountains, but they usually prefer more open woodland than the thick forests of our island. The open scrubland, meadows, olive groves and suburban gardens are usable habitats for this species. I have even seen them on the coast. Their usual diet of seeds is added to in the summer by insects, mostly small caterpillars taken from foliage. Their nests are camouflaged by lichen and made of grasses, leaves, moss, and spider webs, mostly in trees or bushes and containing 1 brood in spring with 4 or 5 eggs.
