Bird Fringilla coelebs of the finch family, common throughout much of Europe and West Asia. About 15 cm/6 in long, the male is olive-brown above, with a bright chestnut breast, a bluish-grey cap, and two white bands on the upper part of the wing; the female is duller. During winter they form single-sex flocks.

There were approximately 4 million breeding pairs in Britain in 1997.