Goldfinch

NL: Putter
D: Stieglitz
F: Chardonneret

Latin name: Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Bird group: Finches

Sound: Unmistakable. Shout a flowing ‘tswit-white-white-white’ or ‘tiedeliet’,
repeated over and over. Sing a canary-like twitter, mixed with calls.

Field characteristics: 12 cm. Male and female alike. Striking black-yellow wings, black and white tail, bright red-black-and-white head and brown mantle. Juvenile with gray-isabel colored head and parts, with brown stripes and spots. Wavy, dancing flight. Mostly in troops. Nests in trees, far from the trunk, sometimes in hedges and bushes.

Appearance: Fairly common resident bird, summer visitor in the north and east of the area.

Habitat: Open forest areas, orchards, parks. Prefers fallow land with nearby herbaceous vegetation.

Food: Mainly seeds, especially insects in summer.

Song/call: