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European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Least Concern

Length

13.0 cm

Wingspan

23.0 cm

Weight

16.0 g

Family

Fringillidae

Order

Passeriformes

About

The European goldfinch is a strikingly beautiful finch whose tinkling song and colorful plumage have made it popular in art and as a caged bird for centuries. It appears frequently in Renaissance paintings as a symbol of the Passion of Christ. Flocks of goldfinches are charmingly called a charm.

Physical Description

Measurement	Value	Imperial
Body Length	13.0 cm	5.1 in
Wingspan	23.0 cm	9.1 in
Weight	16.0 g	0.56 oz

Identification

Plumage

Crimson red face with white cheeks and a black crown. Sandy-brown back with a bright yellow wing bar visible in flight. Black and white tail.

Bill

Slender, pointed, ivory-pink bill adapted for extracting seeds from thistles

Habitat & Range

Open woodland, orchards, gardens, parks, and weedy fields with seed-bearing plants. Common at garden bird feeders.

🏖️ Coastal 🌲 Forest 🌾 Grassland 🌿 Wetland

Geographic Range

Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. Introduced to Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America.

Diet & Feeding

Seeds, especially thistle (Carduus) and teasel seeds, extracted with its precise tweezer-like bill. Also takes insects in summer.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

IUCN Red List

Behavior & Breeding

Nesting

Nest type: CP. Incubation: 10-14 days. Fledging: 13-18 days.

Clutch Size

4-6

Sound

Song

A liquid, tinkling 'swit-swit-swit' in flight and a melodic twittering song. Flocks produce a bright jingling chorus. Male song is a sweet repetitive warble incorporating the flight call.

Taxonomy

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Fringillidae (Finches)
Genus	Carduelis
Species	Carduelis carduelis

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name
German	Stieglitz
Spanish	Jilguero Europeo

Distribution

European Goldfinch has been recorded in 14 countries.

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Present Not recorded

countries highlighted

🇦🇷 Argentina 🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇴 Bolivia 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States 🇺🇾 Uruguay

External Databases

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the European Goldfinch eat?

Seeds, especially thistle (Carduus) and teasel seeds, extracted with its precise tweezer-like bill. Also takes insects in summer.

Where does the European Goldfinch live?

Open woodland, orchards, gardens, parks, and weedy fields with seed-bearing plants. Common at garden bird feeders.

Is the European Goldfinch endangered?

The European Goldfinch has a conservation status of Least Concern.

How does the European Goldfinch nest?

Nest type: CP. Incubation: 10-14 days. Fledging: 13-18 days.

What does the European Goldfinch sound like?

A liquid, tinkling 'swit-swit-swit' in flight and a melodic twittering song. Flocks produce a bright jingling chorus. Male song is a sweet repetitive warble incorporating the flight call.

How big is the European Goldfinch?

The European Goldfinch has a body length of 13.0 cm, wingspan of 23.0 cm, weight of 16.0 g.

What order and family does the European Goldfinch belong to?

The European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) belongs to the order Passeriformes and the family Fringillidae.