19-3-2016 GANDIA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH (Carduelis carduelis)

The European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is a small passerine bird 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. The goldfinch is often depicted in Italian Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child.

Males and females of this species are very similar, with a red face, black and white head, warm brown upper parts, white underparts with buff flanks and breast patches, and black and yellow wings. Males can often be distinguished by a larger, darker red mask that extends just behind the eye. The shoulder feathers are black, whereas they are brown on the females. In females, the red face does not extend past the eye. The ivory-colored bill is long and pointed, and the tail is forked. Goldfinches in breeding condition have a white bill, with a greyish or blackish mark at the tip for the rest of the year. Juveniles have a plain head and a greyer back but are unmistakable due to the yellow wing stripe. Adults molt after the breeding season and at this time appear less colorful until the tips of the newly grown feathers wear away.