Blue Chaffinch

• It is the official animal symbol of the island of Tenerife by law of the Canary Islands Government, alongside the dragon tree as the plant symbol.
• Its chicks feed exclusively on insects, unlike those of other finches: the adults eat Canary Island pine seeds but do not give them to their young.
• Its probable origin is an ancient invasion of common chaffinches arriving from Africa that evolved in isolation on Tenerife.
• It is the animal symbol of the island of Tenerife by law of the Canary Islands Government, alongside the dragon tree as the plant symbol.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Natural Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) forest at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,000 m, whether dry, humid or mixed with laurel-heath understorey. It also frequents plantations of Canary Island pine and of Pinus radiata. For nesting it selects mature pine forest with a tall, dense canopy. It is absent only from the heights of El Escobonal and Fasnia

Litter / clutch size

Two eggs, in a nest built in the branches of trees. It breeds from May to July

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; SEO/BirdLife; MITECO (Inventario Nacional y Libros Rojos); Moreno et al. 2007; Martín y Lorenzo 2001; Carrascal 1987; Martín 1979 y 1987; Sangster et al. 2016; Banco de Datos de Biodiversidad de Canarias (Centinela); Webb, Berthelot y Moquin-Tandon 1842

Best time: From May to July, the breeding season, in the high pine woods

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.