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European Goldfinch

European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Identify the European Goldfinch by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.

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The European Goldfinch is a small, brightly marked finch native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia, and introduced to Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. It is instantly recognised by its red face, black-and-white head and bold yellow wing bar. Its tinkling song and lively, sociable flocks make it a familiar bird of open country, parks and gardens.

Did you know?

  • Goldfinches often appear in Italian Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child.
  • Its genus name Carduelis comes from the Latin for thistle.

Voice

Song
Call

About the species

Identification

Recognised by its red face and black-and-white head; the body is brown and white, and the black wings show a bold yellow bar and white spots. The sexes are nearly alike, though the male often has slightly more red on the face. Juveniles lack the red and black head pattern and are more streaked, but still show the yellow wing bar.

Family

Fringillidae

Size

Small (sparrow)

Colours

brown, red, black, white, yellow

About the habitat

Open and semi-open landscapes with scattered trees and bushes: farmland edges, meadows, hedgerows, orchards, parks and gardens, especially where thistles and other seed-rich weeds abound.

Diet

Mainly small seeds, especially of thistles and teasels, as well as dandelions and other composites; in the breeding season also small insects. It readily visits feeders for nyjer and other fine seeds.

Behaviour

Active and social, forming flocks outside the breeding season. It perches acrobatically on seed heads, extracting seeds with its slender bill, and flies with a bouncing, undulating flight. The song is a bright, silvery twittering. The female builds a neat, compact nest near the tips of branches, of moss and lichen bound with spider silk and lined with plant down; both parents feed the young. Birds from colder regions migrate.

Sources

Photo: Pierre Dalous, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carduelis carduelis (2012).jpg

Sound: Sander Pieterse, XC101463, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://xeno-canto.org/101463

Sound: محبي الطيور المغردة, XC481945, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://xeno-canto.org/481945

Text: Wikipedia (English) + FinBIF species descriptions, CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_goldfinch

See also