European Greenfinch
| European Greenfinch | ||||||||||||||
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| Carduelis chloris |
The European Greenfinch, or just Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.
This bird is widespread throughout Europe , north Africa and south west Asia. It is mainly resident, but some northernmost populations migrate further south.
Open woodland and gardens are favoured for breeding. It builds its nest in a tree or bush, laying 3-8 eggs.
This species can form large flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches. The food is seeds, but the young are also fed insects.
It is similar in size and shape to a Chaffinch, but is mainly green, with yellow in the wings and tail. The female and young birds are duller and have brown tones on the back. The bill is thick and conical. The song contains wheezes and twitters, and the male has a "butterfly" display flight.
