The collective noun for this species is 'a charm of goldfinches'.

Physical description
Goldfinches are 13-15cm in length with a wingspan of 14-16cm and weigh 16-22g. They are distinctive, with red faces, yellow wing-bars, a white rump and black and white markings on the head, wings and tail. Juveniles are streaked and do not have red faces.

Distribution
Goldfinches range across Europe, North Africa, the Azores and Canary Islands and Asia. They have also been introduced to the USA, Central America and Australasia.

Habitat
They occupy a range of habitats including open woodland, orchards, parks, gardens and other cultivated areas.

Diet
Their sharply-pointed beaks are ideal for extracting seeds from teasels, dandelions, thistles and burdock. Young chicks are fed on insects.

Behaviour
Goldfinches have a characteristic bouncing action in flight. They are generally found in pairs during the breeding season and small flocks outside it. They are one of the species increasingly found in British gardens.

Reproduction
The neat, compact nest is made of moss, grass and lichens, and lined with wool, often situated at the end of a flimsy branch in a fruit tree. They may lay two to three clutches of four or five eggs a year.

Conservation status
Goldfinches are not considered to be globally threatened. In the 1800s they were caught and caged in large numbers, but they are now protected in the UK. There may be about 220,000 pairs in Britain and the population is stable at present.

Voice
The song is a tinkling melody and other calls usually emitted in flight are a distinctive tink-oo and a sharp kee-err call. When threatened, they produce a grating zeez note.