Finches · Perching birds
European Goldfinch
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Carduelis carduelis
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Voice
Song
Grégoire Chauvot
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Call
Camille Vacher
How to recognize it
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Small finch, about 12 cm
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Red face with black-and-white head
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Black wings with a broad yellow bar
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White rump; pleasant tinkling trills, often a tri-syllable call
About the species
The European Goldfinch is a small, lively finch with a bright red face and clear yellow wing bars. In parks and city edges, it stands out less by sitting still than by the way it keeps moving, hopping and flying on with an easy, restless energy.
Its voice is light and ringing, with a cheerful, trilling song. In flocks it becomes even more active, and in spring pairs form up; later, adults feed chicks insects and aphids, while grown ones go for seeds too, especially from thistles and burdock.
It favors clearings, gardens, and leafy groves near open ground. In autumn some move south, but many stay through winter, so it can be part of everyday urban walks for much of the year.
Where to find
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In mature city parks and old garden strips with thistles and burdock — the European Goldfinch often sits high in the branches and gives a bright, tinkling call as it moves from one plant to another.
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Along canal banks, pond edges, and reedy drainage ditches — look for it pulling seeds from dry stems and prickly heads near the water.
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On the open margins of larger parks and weedy vacant lots — it feeds on the ground, hopping in short bursts between tall stems.
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In winter at feeders with small seeds or nyjer — small flocks come in quickly and work the seed heads with rapid, neat pecks.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Carduelis carduelis Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — European goldfinch Encyclopedia article