BRAMBLING

(species Fringilla montifringilla), songbird belonging to the family Fringillidae (order Passeriformes) that breeds in coniferous and birch woods from Scandinavia to Japan and winters southward, millions sometimes appearing in Europe. The brambling is a 15-centimetre (6-inch) finch. The male is mostly black, with white rump and a light red-brown breast and shoulders; the female is brown, with streaked back.