Grimsayer

By Grimsayer

A Royal Brambling Y730700?

Having seen a pair of Bramblings two days ago, I thought we had missed our chance. However this appeared today in one of the nets set by the Bird Observatory.
This young male will have been raised in Scandinavia this Summer and is heading south - possibly for the beech woods of Southern England. As the head feathers wear, the head will become blacker and blacker nad the full glory of its breeding plumage will be revealed.
Brambling means of the bramble which is surprising as they are not particularly associated with Brambles. In most of the rest of Europe the name in the relevant language means either Mountain Finch or Finch of the North.
Spain is curious as the species there is called Pinzon Real . Pinzon means Finch (Pinson in French) whilst Real means either usual or royal. My language skills don't help me work out quite why it is either usual (it is not as common in Spain as Chaffinch which is Pinzon Comun in Spanish) or royal. Does anyone know?

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