Open woodland, orchards, gardens, parks, and weedy fields with seed-bearing plants. Common at garden bird feeders.
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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
European Goldfinch
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.
Lesser Koa-finch
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Geographic Range & Migration
European Goldfinch
Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. Introduced to Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America.
Lesser Koa-finch
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Conservation Status
Least Concern
European Goldfinch
Extinct
Lesser Koa-finch
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
European Goldfinch
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
Lesser Koa-finch
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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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.
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More Birds in Family
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