Finches in Cumbria
11 species matching this filter.
Cumbria's diverse landscapes, from the Lake District fells to the Eden Valley lowlands and Solway coast, support 11 species of finch throughout the year. Resident favourites such as Chaffinch, European Goldfinch, and Greenfinch are joined by seasonal visitors including Brambling and Eurasian Siskin, while the county's conifer plantations provide a stronghold for the elusive Red Crossbill. For help telling these species apart, see our Types of Finches in the UK: Identification Guide.
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
A scarce winter visitor from Scandinavia, occasionally joining Chaffinch flocks at beech mast sites in Cumbrian woodlands from October to April.
Oct–Apr
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
A shy, year-round resident of hedgerows and woodland edges, often detected by its soft, melancholy call before it is seen.
Year-round
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
A familiar year-round resident of woodlands, hedgerows and gardens throughout the county, with its bright 'pink' call heard in every season.
Year-round
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
An uncommon year-round resident, breeding in birch and alder woodland around the Lake District and visiting garden feeders in winter.
Year-round
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon resident breeding in Cumbria's conifer and mixed woodlands, often visiting garden nyjer feeders in winter flocks.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A colourful and common year-round resident, increasingly seen on garden feeders and foraging on teasel and thistle heads across the county.
Year-round
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
A common resident of gardens, farmland and hedgerows, though numbers have declined significantly in recent decades due to disease.
Year-round
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally noted in spring and late autumn. Cumbria lies outside its core UK range, making any sighting notable.
Nov–Apr
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Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
An uncommon resident of gorse-covered commons and farmland edges, forming small flocks in winter on stubble fields and weedy margins.
Year-round
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
A scarce resident of Cumbria's conifer plantations, with numbers fluctuating markedly between years depending on spruce cone crops.
May–Mar
Twite
Linaria flavirostrisLC
A rare winter visitor, with small flocks sometimes found along the Solway coast and saltmarshes. A declining species across the UK.
Nov–Mar