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European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
European Goldfinch, photographed by MinoZig

Photo: MinoZig · Wikimedia · CC-BY-SA 4.0 (licence)

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Call and song

About the European Goldfinch

Beautiful little finch with a sharp pink bil, cherry-red face, and brilliant black-and-yellow flashes in the wings. Western birds (Europe east to far western Central Asia) have a black-and-white cowl; eastern birds (rest of Central Asia) lack this cowl, and are grayer overall, with more white on the wing. Juvenile (seen in late summer and autumn) has a plain head but is told easily by bold wing pattern. Uses a wide array of wooded and open habitats, from forests and gardens to steppe grasslands and meadows; often feeds on seeding thistles. Forms flocks in autumn and winter, gathering at food sources. Can be inconspicuous, but often detected by pleasant bubbling and twittering calls and song.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 91 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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