Hawfinch
The Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) occurs in Europe, Asia, and parts of northern Africa. With a length of up to 18 cm, it is the largest finch in Europe. The birds are residents through much of their range, only some Asian populations migrate southwards during the winter months. They inhabit deciduous or mixed woodlands, but can also be found in parks or large gardens. Their diet consists mainly of nuts, seeds, and fruit kernels which can be cracked with their strikingly massive bill. In addition, insects or other invertebrates are caught occasionally. The birds are generally shy and spend most of their time in the upper parts of trees. However, during the winter they can sometimes be observed at bird feeders. I have photographed this very pretty bird in northern Germany during the Easter holidays (April 2015).
Hawfinch
Hawfinch
Hawfinch
Hawfinch
Hawfinch
Hawfinch
Matt Travels 
Stunner, beautiful photos.
thank you!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing such interesting, detailed information. What a very large Finch! Your photos are super, and show off the coloring and shape of this bird in a most beautiful way.
thank you! 🙂 sometimes, we don’t have to travel to far away places to be able to spot pretty and interesting animals!!
Great photos and a willing subject! Probably knew the photos were going on the internet….instant bird fame. 🙂
haha – I wish, actually I’ve been sitting next to this branch for many hours… and most of the time the bird was very skittish!! 🙂 but the result counts – and I am happy with it!
Wow! 🙂 Fantastic shots! What a gorgeous bird…
thank you!! 🙂 it is really rewarding to look closely – even at “every-day-birds” 🙂
Wonderful images….love them…what an attractive species!
thank you!! 🙂 I also like the delicate colouring very much!!
Great photos!!! What a stunning bird – all those different shades of gray, browns, and butter – really a stunning bird. Is this a fairly common species – one you can expect to see on most days?? I really need to get to Europe, Asia, and N. Africa!!!
thank you!! 🙂 I would say the bird is not rare, but still not seen everyday… normally the species lives in the higher parts of trees, so it’s not really easy to spot or observe. During the winter, however, it will come to bird feeders – then you might be lucky and see it more frequently…
Cool, thanks for the info! Yet another bird I need to see 😉
Lovely photos. I want to see a hawfinch.