Fringilla
The genus Fringilla is a small group of finches from the Old World, which are the only species in the subfamily Fringillinae. The genus name Fringilla is Latin for "finch".
The four species are:
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
| Fringilla coelebs | Common chaffinch | Europe, across Asia to Siberia and in northwestern Africa | |
| Fringilla polatzeki | Gran Canaria blue chaffinch | Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands | |
| Fringilla teydea | Tenerife blue chaffinch | Tenerife, the Canary Islands | |
| Fringilla montifringilla | Brambling | Europe, North Africa, northern India, northern Pakistan, China, and Japan |
The common chaffinch is found primarily in forest habitats, in Europe, North Africa, and western Asia; the blue chaffinches are island endemics; and the brambling breeds in the northern taiga and southern tundra of Eurasia.
The four species are about the same size, in length, and are similar in shape. They have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings. They are not as specialised as other finches, eating both insects and seeds. While breeding, they feed their young on insects rather than seeds, unlike other finches.
In 2016, it was proposed that the extremely rare Gran Canaria subspecies F. teydea polatzeki be treated as a separate species, thus creating a fourth species, F. polatzeki.