Goldfinch, common name for a colorful songbird of the finch family, native to the British Isles, Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia. In the wild, it prefers open country, such as wastelands and weed-bordered grain fields. It is also popular worldwide as a cage bird. The European goldfinch has been successfully introduced to mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Argentina, and Bermuda. During the 1870s, it was introduced to the United States, but wild populations no longer exist in North America.

The European goldfinch is about 13 to 15 cm (about 5 to 6 in) long. The male and female are similar in appearance with a brown back, a black-and-white head, and a bright red face and throat. Its tail is black with white markings, and its wings are black with broad yellow bands. Young birds in their first year, called juveniles, are brown and lack the colorful head pattern of adults. The European goldfinch’s call is a repeated tswitt-witt-witt, and the male sings a cheerful, twittering song.

The European goldfinch feeds mainly on seeds from various weeds, particularly thistles. It sometimes catches insects, especially for its young. When feeding, it flies from one plant to another, often hanging upside down to take seeds from thistles or other tall weeds.

Mating takes place during spring and summer. During courtship, the male expands his wings to display the yellow bands. The female builds a cuplike nest high in a tree, constructed of moss, fine twigs, grass, wool, and spider webs and lined with thistledown or other soft material. She lays three to six bluish-white eggs spotted and streaked with browns. She incubates, or warms, the eggs by sitting on them for 12 to 13 days until they hatch. The male feeds the female as she cares for the eggs. Both parents help feed the young, first with insects and later with partially digested seeds. The young are ready to leave the nest, or fledge, about 14 days after hatching, and are fed by the parents for two to three weeks thereafter. European goldfinches raise two or three batches, or broods, of young each year.

“European Goldfinch,” Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2008
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.