Chaffinch or Greenfinch?

These two get mixed up constantly. Here is what actually separates them, taken from each bird's own page.

Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs

Greenfinch

Chloris chloris

A female chaffinch shows two clean white wing bars across the wing; a female greenfinch shows a single yellow stripe along the wing edge. The greenfinch is also bulkier with a far heavier bill.

Side by side

	Chaffinch	Greenfinch
Size	Robin-sized but longer and slimmer, about 14-15cm, with a noticeably long tail.	About 15cm — robin-length but noticeably chunkier and heavier-headed, with a big pale bill.
Where you'll see it	On the ground under feeders and along hedge bottoms far more often than on the feeder itself.	On hanging seed feeders, in treetops, and on the ground beneath; a bold, dominant feeder bird.
What it eats	Seeds year-round, with caterpillars and other insects taken through the breeding season and fed to chicks.	Large seeds it can crack — sunflower, rose hips, hawthorn, and in gardens sunflower hearts above all.
When	Resident all year. Numbers swell from October as continental birds arrive to winter here.	Resident all year, most obvious from late winter into spring when males start singing.
Status	Green listed	Red listed

Still not sure? Describe what you saw and we will rank every garden bird against it — including these two.

Both descriptions are taken from the species pages, which cite the BTO and RSPB. Reviewed 2026-09-20.