Why Is The Bullfinch Regarded As A Pest By Farmers?

The bullfinch is one of the few small birds in Europe that farmers do regard as a pest. This is because this particular finch has a taste for the buds of fruit trees and it pecks the systematically during spring, causing massive damage in commercial orchards.

It prefers some fruit trees to others but once it finds a tree species that it likes, it is merciless. Bullfinches also eat the seeds of woodland plants such as birch, privet and ash and really only attack orchards when this more usual food supply has been exhausted.

The rate at which bullfinches can feed on fruit trees is phenomenal – a pair of bullfinches can strip all of the buds from a pear tree in just a single day, totally destroying all chance of the farmer obtaining any fruit from that tree in that season. Bullfinches also make short work of orchards containing plum trees.

Add Comment

Report