European Goldfinch Identification
What I look like
The European Goldfinch has a black and white head with a red face.
Its beak is conical and light-colored.
The upper body is brown.
The underside is white and beige.
Its wings are black with a yellow wing bar.
The tail is black and white and forked.
The female has a red mask that does not extend beyond the back of the eye, the black is replaced by a grayish-brown color, and she has 2 to 4 white spots on the tail while the male has 6.
Juveniles have a grayish-brown head.
It is about the size of a sparrow.
My songs, my calls
The European Goldfinch is recognized by its typical call "didelit" or "tslit", somewhat like a small bell.
It can also emit alarm calls "wèèii".
or "tschrrr" often during a confrontation with a fellow.
Here you can hear different calls: "didelit" "wèii" "tschrrr" followed by a repeated series of "didelit".
Its song is a mix of typical calls "didelitt", warbles, and trills. Here you first hear a repeated series of "didelit" "tsilit" followed by a mix of warbles and trills.
How I behave
It climbs on thistle stems to reach the seeds.
It lands directly on stable plants like sunflowers.
Only after harvesting all the seeds does it move to other plants.
It is a very sociable bird. It often lives in groups outside the breeding season.
How I reproduce
The breeding season of the European Goldfinch extends from April to September.
It produces 2 broods per year of 4 to 6 pale blue to greenish eggs, speckled with reddish-brown.
It nests in trees and shrubs, in a fork, not far from the end of the branch.
Its nest is a cup made of various plant materials (moss, leaves, stems, roots...).
What I eat
The European Goldfinch primarily feeds on seeds of herbaceous plants and trees (birch, alder, pine...).
Among herbaceous plants, it particularly likes thistle and sunflower seeds.
In winter, it will come to the feeder, attracted by the seeds.
Where to find me
The European Goldfinch can be found in open wooded areas of deciduous or mixed forests, in meadows and fallow lands rich in seeds and thistles, along roadsides, and in gardens.
It is a resident or short-distance migratory species.
From August, goldfinches gather in groups and migrate to open areas (meadows rich in thistles).
At the end of summer, you can attract them to your garden with thistles and sunflowers.
A victim of its colorful plumage and song, the European Goldfinch has been used as a pet bird. In France, it is now illegal to capture them.