Page 387 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

FINCHES
Order Passeriformes Family Fringillidae Species Carduelis carduelis
Goldfinch bold black, white,
and red patterning
on head

broad yellow panel sharp pale bill
on black wings tawny back

black yellow on closed
tail with wings squarish tawny-
white chestnut patch
spots ADULT on each side of
at tip breast
grey head
IN FLIGHT
duller wings
than adult’s
pale underside
ADULT
lthough it is widespread in Europe,
Aeven in cool, damp climates, the
Goldfinch seems most at home in the broad buff
hot,sunny summer of the Mediterranean. tip to tail
Its bouncy, lively actions and flashing JUVENILE
colours go well with the bright, dry
conditions and surroundings of brightly
flowering plants on the seeds of which it feeds.
It is, however, also found farther north in farmland with scattered
woods and plenty of rough, open ground. Such places tend to FLIGHT: particularly light and skipping, dancing,
be labelled “waste” and are all to often tidied up and stripped of bouncy action with flurried beats of long wings.
the seed-bearing herbs and shrubs on which so
many finches depend.
VOICE Calls are highly distinctive variations on
usual finch theme: chattering, skipping flight call,
skip-i-lip or tililip with liquid, lilting quality, rough
tschair; song musical and varied, mixture of call
notes and liquid trills.
NESTING Neat nest of roots, grass, and cobwebs,
in tree or shrub; 5 or 6 eggs; 2 broods; May–July.
FEEDING Feeds on soft, half-ripe seeds on low- FLASHING WINGS
growing to medium-height plants, less often on A flock of Goldfinches in flight becomes a blur of yellow stripes; these,
ground; also eats tree seeds from alder and birch. plus the bouncy, undulating action, make identification simple.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds in most of Europe except
SISKIN 32; much plain face Iceland and N Scandinavia; only
see p.387 greener in summer in NE Europe, resident
smaller
yellow elsewhere, common in S. Likes
patch weedy places with tall, seed-
on wings bearing flowers such as thistles,
teasels; also alders and larch.
less
obvious GREENFINCH Seen in the UK
yellow 32; see p.386 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 12.5–13cm (5in) Wingspan 21–25cm (8 1 ⁄2 –10in) Weight 14–17g ( 1 ⁄2 – 5 ⁄8oz)
Social Flocks Lifespan 2–3 years Status Secure†
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