Page 391 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

FINCHES
Order Passeriformes Family Fringillidae Species Serinus serinus
Serin bright yellow feathers often
forehead
fluffed up in
winter, for
dark crescent
around cheeks warmth
two short, narrow stubby
yellow pale wingbars bill
rump
streaked green
back
MALE MALE
pale
wingbars
paler yellow
IN FLIGHT on face than
male
black-streaked less yellow
forked flanks below than
tail male
MALE

tiny, bouncy, colourful finch with sharp, FEMALE
Aspluttering calls, the Serin is characteristic
of many Mediterranean areas. Males sing from
the tops of spindly conifers, or in a fast,
fluttery song-flight.Although superficially like FLIGHT: light, buoyant, deeply undulating; song-
other green and yellow finches, the Serin is flight slower, on stiff, outstretched wings.
generally easily identified in its usual range. SIZZLING SONG
However, various possible escaped cage birds Males drop their wings to show
have to be ruled out when identifying a off their yellow rumps as they sing
potential out-of-range vagrant, including dull, their fast, high-pitched song.
streaky young Canaries.
VOICE Silvery, rapid trill, zirr-r-r-r-r-r; rising
tuweee; song very quick, sharp, jingling or
breaking glass quality, trills and twitters, often
in stiff-winged song-flight.
NESTING Tiny, hair-lined cup of grass and
moss in tree or bush; 4 eggs; 2 or 3 broods;
May–July.
FEEDING Eats tiny seeds, mostly from ground
or on low-growing plants.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Resident in Spain, Portugal, S and
W France, and Mediterranean
yellow sides CANARY CITRIL FINCH 32; area; summer visitor north to
of tail escapee; dull rump;
see p.466 see p.388 Baltic; only rare vagrant outside
longer bill this range in W Europe. In villages,
longer orchards, vineyards, olive groves,
less streaked
bill town parks, gardens, wooded
longer, broader
wingbars areas, and along roadsides.
SISKIN 32; dull Seen in the UK
see p.387 wingbars JF M A M J JA S ON D
Length 11–12cm (4 1 ⁄4 –4 3 ⁄4in) Wingspan 18–20cm (7–8in) Weight 12–15g ( 7 ⁄16 – 9 ⁄16oz)
Social Flocks Lifespan 2–3 years Status Secure
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