Cock o' the north, Mountain finch
The brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) is a small memeber of the finch family. It is widespread throughout is native range and often seen in very large flocks.
The brambling is similar in size and shape to a Common chaffinch. Males in breeding plumage are very distinctive; they have a black head, dark upperparts, orange breasts, and white belly. Females and younger birds are less distinct and more similar in appearance to some chaffinches.
Bramblings breed throughout northern Europe and east across the Palearctic. They winter in southern Europe, North Africa, northern India, northern Pakistan, China, and Japan. Bramblings frequently stray into Alaska during migration and there are scattered records across the northern United States and southern Canada. They prefer to breed in open coniferous or birch woodlands and also in mixed deciduous and conifer woods. Bramblings can also be found along the edges of cultivated fields and orchards.
Bramblings are social birds, often forming flocks, and spend nights together at communal roosts. They also migrate in large flocks in the winter, sometimes with thousands or even millions of birds in a single flock. Bramblings forage during the day singly, in pairs, or in small groups. They search for food on the ground and in low vegetation and may also pursue and catch insects in flight.
Bramblings are herbivores (granivores, frugivores) and carnivores (insectivores). In winter they mostly eat seeds and berries, while in summer they consume various insects and their larvae.
Bramblings are serially monogamous and their pair-bonds last only during one breeding season which takes place between May and early August. The nest is usually placed high in a tree against the trunk. It is built by the female and consists of an outer layer which may contain lichen, grass, heather, cobwebs, and strips of bark from birch or juniper trees. It is lined with feathers, soft grass, and hair. The eggs are laid at daily intervals. The clutch usually contains 5-7 eggs. They range from light blue to dark olive-brown and have pink to rusty red spots and blotches. Starting after the last egg has been laid, they are incubated by the female and hatch after 11-12 days. Helpless chicks are fed and cared for by both parents and fledge after 13-14 days. They become reproductively mature at one year of age. Bramblings often raise only one brood each year but two broods can be raised in northwest Russia.
There are no major threats to this species at present.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the brambling is 121,200,000-192,000,000 mature individuals. In Europe, the breeding population consists of 15,200,000-24,000,000 pairs, which equates to 30,300,000-48,000,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, but its numbers today are decreasing.
