Wildlife Garden DecoBird Chaffinch 11.9 cm hand-carved & hand-painted

At a glance

• hand-carved and hand-painted chaffinch made of linden wood
• Model: Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
• lifelike depiction of a male chaffinch
• characteristic rust-red/brownish breast and blue-grey head
• short, strong, and cone-shaped beak
• hand-painted with water-based paints
• every figure is slightly individual due to the handcrafting
• Dimensions: 11.9 × 4.9 × 10.2 cm
• Weight: approx. 55 g
• includes a brochure with information on the bird species
• gift box with viewing window

Product details

• Brand: Wildlife Garden
• Series: DecoBird
• Bird species: Chaffinch
• Scientific name: Fringilla coelebs
• Item number: WG416
• EAN: 7350054761239
• Material: Linden wood
• Paint: Water-based paint
• Length: 11.9 cm
• Width: 4.9 cm
• Height: 10.2 cm
• Weight: approx. 55 g
• Packaging: Gift box with viewing window
• Other: Brochure with information on the bird species

A familiar songbird with surprising color

The chaffinch is one of our common songbirds. Nevertheless, it is worth taking a closer look: the male in particular is attractively colored with its rust-reddish-brown underside, blue-grey head, and high-contrast wing markings.

For its DecoBird, Wildlife Garden uses this very male plumage as a model and captures the characteristic colors on the hand-carved wooden figure.

Hand-carved from linden wood

The chaffinch is part of Wildlife Garden's DecoBird series and is carved by hand from linden wood. The finely grained wood is very well suited for figurative carving and makes it possible to cleanly work out the body shape, beak, and plumage structure even on a small bird figure.

The bird is then painted by hand with water-based paints. Small differences in the carving structure, wood, and paint are therefore normal and make every DecoBird slightly unique.

The Chaffinch – Fringilla coelebs

The chaffinch is a familiar inhabitant of forests, parks, and gardens across large parts of Europe. The male, in particular, stands out due to its beautiful coloration.

Also typical of the chaffinch is its short, strong, and cone-shaped beak. It is well-suited for picking up and processing seeds, which form an important part of its diet.

A bird you often hear before you see

As with many songbirds, the chaffinch's voice is one of its most important distinguishing features. Its strong, rhythmic song is frequently heard, especially in spring.

Those who take a more intensive interest in our native birds eventually stop recognizing them only by their plumage – you know just from the song that there is a chaffinch nearby somewhere.

An amazingly artful nest

The chaffinch also shows great skill in nest-building. The female builds a compact, cup-shaped nest, using materials such as moss, lichen, feathers, and animal hair.

The outside is adapted to the environment in such a way that the nest is often amazingly difficult to discover among branches and twigs.

11.9 cm long and 55 grams in weight

At 11.9 × 4.9 × 10.2 cm, the chaffinch is one of the more compact DecoBirds. Its weight is around 55 g.

This means it easily finds a place on a windowsill, a bookshelf, or a desk. Together with other DecoBirds, the different sizes and plumage colors create a particularly beautiful effect.

With a brochure on the bird species

Included with the hand-carved chaffinch is a small brochure with information about the bird species. The figure is delivered in a gift box with a viewing window.

This combination of nature observation and handcrafted wooden figure is, for me, one of the beautiful details of the DecoBird series.

My assessment

With the chaffinch, you realize once again how quickly you can underestimate a common bird. You know the name, you might see it regularly in the garden – but only upon closer inspection do you notice how beautifully colored the male actually is.

It is precisely this mix of familiar yet interesting that makes it a very fitting DecoBird for me. At 11.9 cm, the figure remains pleasantly compact, while at the same time, the plumage offers enough different colors and markings to let the hand-painting shine.

And here, too, I like the natural history approach of Wildlife Garden: you don't just put any old wooden bird on the shelf. You know it is a chaffinch – and perhaps the next time you go for a walk, you will even recognize its song.