7th January: Bullfinch Exchange Day, Japan

On this date in Japan, the priests hand out wooden bullfinches to the people. There are occasionally gilded ones, and those who get a gilded one will have good luck. Here are 10 facts about Bullfinches:

1. They are so called because they look front-heavy and bull-headed.
2. Bullfinches are found over a massive range, from Ireland to Japan.
3. Males have a pink/red breast, black cap and tail and white rump. Females are not so colourful although they have similar wing and tail markings to the males.
4. The females are dominant.
5. Their diet is mainly buds of fruit trees. Their beaks are specifically adapted for eating buds. They particularly like Pear trees and cherry trees. This meant they were once viewed as pests and it was legal to trap and kill them - but we know now that a fruit tree can lose half its buds with no significant effect on the harvest so now we leave them alone.
6. They will eat insects in summer when feeding their young.
7. Most pairs raise two broods a year - some manage three.
8. Some species of bullfinch migrate, but our British ones do not. They rarely move more than a few kilometres in their whole lives.
9. Bullfinches can be taught to imitate a bird flute or whistle, which made them common as pets.
10. The Azores bullfinch is one of the world’s rarest birds, with a population of fewer than 120 pairs only found on the island of São Miguel.