The scarlet finch (Carpodacus erythrinus) is a sparrow-sized bird belonging to the finch family. When stretched, it measures from 13.5 to 15 cm. It has a distinctive build with a stout head and a strong bill, a full chest, and a slender rear part of the body with a relatively long tail. The origin of the name of this species becomes clear upon looking at an adult male. Its head, face, throat, chest, and even the tail are scarlet red; only a brown band across the eyes and the shading is present. The belly and the rest of the lower body of the male are, just like those of females and juvenile individuals, dirty white. The wings and tail are dark brown. The female and juvenile individuals of both sexes are decidedly inconspicuous in coloration. The upper side of their body is gray-brown with indistinct darker streaks, and the underside is lighter. They are characterized by the absence of any redness. For scarlets, a short and stout rounded beak is characteristic, and the black eye is well visible on the lighter head. Although the species is generally quite secretive and we quickly overlook it, during the breeding season the males become bolder and like to sing from exposed singing spots.
The scarlet finch is diurnal, foraging for food for itself and for its young. It mainly feeds on plant parts — seeds, shoots and buds. When the opportunity arises, it will not refuse insects or a similar invertebrate.
This is a summer visitor that overwinters in the lands of the Indian subcontinent, from there returning to us again in spring. Because its migratory route runs east of Slovenia, it has actually begun nesting in our region only a few decades ago. The scarlet finch weaves a cup-shaped nest from twigs and grasses and hides it in a dense shrub or low in the tree canopy. It nests best in shrub-dominated landscapes — on damp, shrub-dense soils near lakes or rivers, and in cultivated landscapes we can also hear it sing, provided there is enough dense shrub cover where it finds enough food and feels safe.
In Slovenia the scarlet finch is a very rare nesting bird, as its nesting has so far been confirmed only at the Ljubljansko Barje and Cerknica Lake. In general, however, the scarlet finch is not endangered, because it has an extremely large range and the world population of this species is also very numerous – it is estimated that there are between 40 and 350 million adult scarlet finches in the world. Of course, local populations of this wonderful bird can be threatened due to the disappearance of suitable habitat.
