# African chaffinch

The African chaffinch (Fringilla spodiogenys), is a species of passerine bird in the genus Fringilla. This species can be found in southwestern Morocco through Tunisia and into western Libya in the Atlas Mountains and along the Mediterranean Coast, and also has an isolated population in northeastern Libya near the coast. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Eurasian chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs). Its habitat includes deciduous forests and lowlands, and during the nonbreeding season extends its habitat to open areas including weedy fields and olive groves.
The diet of the African chaffinch is similar to the Eurasian chaffinch, mostly eating small invertebrates and their larvae, as well as flowers, seeds, and buds.

## Taxonomy

This species was first described by Napoleon Bonaparte’s Nephew, Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte who was an ornithologist. It was first classified as a subspecies of Eurasian chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), but work done between 1979 and 2021 found differences between the two species including genetics and vocal behaviour that lead to the African chaffinch becoming its own species.
Three subspecies are accepted:
* Fringilla spodiogenys africana Levaillant, 1850 – Morocco to northwest Tunisia
* Fringilla spodiogenys spodiogenys Bonaparte, 1841 – eastern Tunisia, northwest Libya
* Fringilla spodiogenys harterti Svensson, 2015 – the Jebel Akhdar in Cyrenaica, northeastern Libya

## Distribution and habitat

The African chaffinch is found from southern Morocco to northwestern Libya and in Pantelleria, Italy, 68 kilometres east of the Tunisian coast in the Strait of Sicily; there is also an isolated population in northeastern Libya. The species is non-migratory and usually disperses only over short distances, though a vagrant has been reported from the Netherlands The African chaffinch typically occurs in deciduous forests and Lowlands comprising a mix of trees such as maple (Acer), hornbeam (Carpinus), oak (Quercus), and pine (Pinus), alongside forest edges and clearings. In the Moroccan High Atlas it is found in Juniperus thurifera woods. During the non-breeding season, it extends its range to similar habitats and open agricultural areas, including weedy fields, stubble fields, olive groves, palm groves, and desert oases.

## Field identification

The African chaffinch is a medium to large finch that is typically 13.8–18.5 cm in length and weighs 21–24g. Males and females have different characteristics. The adult male has a blue-grey head with a small patch of black above the bill on the forehead, and a moss-green mantle (the mantle very distinct from the reddish-brown of Eurasian chaffinch, and also lacking the reddish cheeks of that species); its wings are black with two bold white stripes and white edges to the tertials and secondaries; the tail is blue-grey with white sides. The male's throat, breast, and belly are pale pinkish, grading to white on the lower belly and undertail. The legs dark pinkish-brown, and the bill is silvery blue-grey with a black tip. In winter, the males are duller in plumage, with the head more grey-brown and the mantle more brownish-green. Females and juveniles are greyish brown; they have dark brown and white stripes on the wings and a lighter brown and white underbelly; their heads are a dull greyish brown and have brown legs.
In winter, Eurasian chaffinch occurs as a non-breeding winter visitor in northwest Africa and can occur together with African chaffinches.

## Sound and vocal behaviour

The song is similar to the Eurasian chaffinch, but faster and more rhythmic, and lacking the flourish at the end. Its call sounds like a soft hwit sound singularly or in series or a high pitched wee. Sometimes these two calls are given together in a series.

## Breeding behaviour

The African chaffinch breeds from mid-March to mid-July. Their nests are placed on a trunk, branch, or in the fork of a bush or tree. Their nests are a deep cup made of moss, lichens, grass, plant fibres, animal hair and feathers, grass, fine roots, and bark strips. It breeds primarily in lowland woodlands, typically containing oak (Quercus sp.), hornbeam (Carpinus sp.), and pine (Pinus sp.), though some also breed in gardens and parks.

## Conservation status

Although this bird is generally uncommon, it is locally common, and not under immediate threat of extinction.