Blue Chaffinch Fringilla teydea

The Blue Chaffinch is endemic to the pine forests of Tenerife, Canary Islands. Evolved from the Common Chaffinch, the male, above left, is a grey-blue and the female, above right, is grey with patches of brown or brown wash.

Fat Blue Chaffinch, male, in the Tenerife pine where they live.

Interestingly, the (Common) Chaffinch colonised Tenerife on two separate occasions. The earliest resulted in the evolution of the Blue Chaffinch which lives in a restricted area of pine forest and nowhere else on the planet. The second colonisation resulted in the Canary or Tintillon Chaffinch (see link below) which inhabits Tenerife, other Canary Islands and Madeira.

The male can look very pale blue (above left/centre). The juvenile is brown (above right).