European Goldfinch

How to recognise it

• Red forehead and throat, white head with white neck sides and black crown and nape
• Black wings with a broad, intense yellow band that shows clearly in flight
• Long, pointed ivory bill, black forked tail and white rump
• Male's red face mask reaches just behind the eye, female's does not pass it

Call and song

The call is a repeated “tick tickeli tickelitt”, which gave the species its Swedish name. The song resembles the Eurasian Siskin's: fast and twittering, with varied notes and bits of the call mixed in. The aggression call is a hard, snarling “tschrr”.

Where and when

In Sweden it occurs mainly in the south and centre, and along the Norrland coast to Norrbotten, and it is reported from all 21 counties. It is partly migratory: some leave in October to November for western and southern Europe and return in March to April, while others winter. It is reported all year and is now common, up 112 to 245 percent over the last ten years.

Food and behaviour

It lives mostly on seeds and is especially fond of seeds from thistles and burdocks. It is a skilled climber and often clambers on thistles to gather seeds. It breeds twice a year, the first time in May.