UK - a crested chaffinch or something weird ? (1 Viewer)

[g8ina]

Just spotted what I, at first, thought was a female chaffinch. Common enough you might think, but this one had a distinct crest on the top of its head.

Was this just a female chaffinch having a bad hair day, or something else ? What else could it be - I sure can't see anything in my books ....

 

[Carlos U]

I don't find it strange. I have often seen Chaffinches in South Iberia, where I live with the crown feathers sligthly erected making a distinct angular head profile thus giving the impression of a short crest.

Perhaps yours had some disarranged feathers in that area (a coup of wind, perhaps?) that exagerated that false-crest impression.

 

[nickderry]

chaffinches are prone to having an angular aspect to the head when they raise their crown feathers, this would look like a small crest.

 

[Marmot]

Did it look anything like this male one, we came across it in Scotland a few years back and its top feathers were up and from all angles it looked like Don King the boxing promoters hairstyle.

 

[g8ina]

Thanks for the input guys, I guess it was just a bad hair day for the female after all