Kivonat:

The study is based on the foreign related recoveries (more than 100 km from the site of ringing) of the databank of the BirdLife Hungary until the end of 1997. Only finch species with more than 10 foreign recoveries were included in the study These were: Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), Brambling (F. montifringilla), Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (C. carduelis), Siskin (C. spinus), Linnet (Acanthis cannabis), Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) and Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes). All of these species are partial migrants with irruptive tendencies. The role and importance of the Carpathian Basin for the European finches is very different between species. The lack of recoveries and the well known migration route of the northeastern population of the Chaffinch indicates that this species is not migrating through Hungary in considerable numbers. The Greenfinch and Goldfinch populations breeding north of Hungary partly winter near their breeding areas, partly migrate through Hungary to winter in southern areas. The recoveries of the Brambling and Siskin, which are the most irruptive species connect the birds ringed or recaptured in Hungary to those that winter in W Europe. The other species use different, more easterly wintering areas. The Hungarian related Chaffinch, Linnet and Hawfinch populations spend the winter on the Apennine Peninsula, the Greenfinch and Goldfinch on the Balkan Peninsula. The three large Mediterranean peninsulas served as refugees for the finch populations in the glacial period, and retain their role as wintering sites even today. The populations of different finch species that survived on the different peninsulas have expanded to north and occupied different breeding areas in Europe, but still migrate back to their glacial refuge areas for witnering.