The European goldfinch or simply the goldfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia. It has been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay.
European goldfinch
C. c. caniceps Himachal Pradesh, India
C. c. carduelis Sweden
C. c. niediecki Cyprus
The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide native distribution except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty genera. It includes the canaries, siskins, redpolls, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias, as well as the morphologically divergent Hawaiian honeycreepers.
Image: Pyrrhula pyrrhula female 2
Image: Bullfinch male
Euphonias, like this thick-billed euphonia, were once treated as tanagers instead of finches.
American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) male (left) and female (right) in Johnston County, North Carolina, USA
