Tenerife blue chaffinch

According to the Canary Islands Government, the beautiful and elegant blue chaffinch (Fringilla teydea) is the symbol of Tenerife. Its feathers are a bluey-grey colour which can be glimpsed in the forests of Canarian pine, where they fly in small flocks or alone. The blue chaffinch feeds on seeds from pine trees, laburnums and brooms, as well as the larvae of certain insects. You will find them in the areas of Vilaflor, Arico, Boca de Tauce and Aguamansa, and also elsewhere. Certain studies claim that they originated from an invasion of common chaffinches from Africa many centuries ago and gradually evolved into a new subspecies due to their isolation in Tenerife.