British finches facts for kids

Goldfinches were once caught in thousands to be kept as cage birds.

British finches are a group of small, colorful birds. They are part of the finch family. Long ago, many people in Great Britain loved to keep them as pets. Today, fewer people keep them, but some dedicated bird lovers still do.

A Look Back: British Finches in History

During the Victorian era (a long time ago!), British finches were super popular. Many people in the British Isles kept them as pets. They were even more common than canaries in some homes! Sadly, thousands of these birds were caught from the wild every year. There were no laws to protect them back then.

Their popularity was so big that a famous British song even mentioned them. The song "My Old Man (Said Follow the Van)" talks about a "cock linnet." A linnet is one type of British finch.

Rules for Keeping British Finches

Today, there are strict rules about keeping British finches. This is to protect them in the wild.

Since the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it has been against the law to catch or sell any wild British bird. You can only sell these birds if they were born in captivity. They must also have a special closed ring on their leg. This ring proves they were bred by people, not caught from the wild.

What Are "Mules" and Hybrids?

You might hear the word "mules" when people talk about British finches. In the world of bird breeding, a "mule" is a special type of hybrid bird. A hybrid is when two different kinds of birds have babies together.

For example, a common "mule" is a mix between a goldfinch and a canary. People in Victorian times found that these mixed birds looked pretty and sang beautifully. The babies from these pairings cannot have their own babies. But bird lovers still breed them today. Many clubs even focus on these unique "mules."

A hybrid between a European goldfinch and a domestic canary

Some people also try to breed different types of British finches together. For example, a siskin and a goldfinch might have babies. Or even a crossbill and a bullfinch. Breeding these hybrids can be very tricky. When people talk about these pairs, they usually say the father's type first. So, a "greenfinch × goldfinch" means a male greenfinch and a female goldfinch.

Types of British Finches

British finches are simply birds from the finch family that live wild in the British Isles. Here are some of the most popular kinds:

• Genus Fringilla (These include bramblings and chaffinches)
  • Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
  • Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) - Sometimes called the "bramble finch" by bird keepers.

• Genus Carduelis (This group includes linnets, redpolls, goldfinches, greenfinches, and some siskins)
  • Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
  • Redpoll (Carduelis species)
  • Siskin (Carduelis spinus)
  • Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis )
  • Twite (Carduelis flavirostris)
  • Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)

• Genus Loxia (These are the crossbills)
  • Common crossbill (Loxia species) - Back in Victorian times, the Scottish crossbill was not yet known as a separate type.

• Genus Pyrrhula (These are the bullfinches)
  • Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)