The hawfinch is a huge finch, weighing over twice as much as the more familiar chaffinch. It uses its powerful bill to crack open seeds from trees such as cherry, hornbeam and beech, but in summer often feeds on insects as well. Hawfinches are found in large areas of mature broadleaved woodland, favouring areas with open glades. Shy birds, they can be extremely difficult to find in summer, remaining high in the canopy and rarely calling. In winter, numbers are boosted by continental migrants, and birds are easier to spot in leafless trees.
How to identify
Hawfinches are huge compared to other finches, with a distinctive top-heavy silhouette created by their large head and thick, triangular bill. They are predominantly a rusty, orange-brown, richer on the head and tail, with a dark brown back and a black patch around the base of the bill.
Did you know?
The bill of a hawfinch can exert a pressure of over 150 pounds per square inch. That's enough to crush even an olive stone, and the equivalent of a thousand times its own weight.
