European Greenfinch

Overview

The European greenfinch (Chloris chloris) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is mainly a resident species, though populations from the far north migrate further south, and it is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• 15 cm in length with a wingspan of 24.5 to 27.5 cm, similar in size and shape to a house sparrow but mainly green with yellow in the wings and tail.
• Features a thick, conical bill, with females and young birds appearing duller and possessing brown tones on the back.
• The song contains a lot of trilling and twittering interspersed with wheezes, and the male performs a "butterfly" display flight.
• Males exhibit higher degrees of fluctuating asymmetry, with bones that are more susceptible to disruption during development than those of females.

Habitat

Widespread throughout Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia, with introduced populations in Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Argentina. It favours woodland edges, farmland hedges, and gardens with relatively thick vegetation for breeding.

Diet

Feeds on a great variety of seeds, berries, fruit, buds, flowers, and some arthropods. It forages in trees and bushes, as well as on the ground.

Did you know?

The protozoal parasite Trichomonas gallinae, which typically infects pigeons and raptors, was found in dead European greenfinches starting in 2005 in Great Britain, likely mediated by common chaffinches.