Goldfinch

A highly coloured UK Goldfinch, also known as Stieglitz or Thistlefinch, with a bright red face and yellow wing patch feeding on the dried lavender... more

by Terri Waters

Title

Goldfinch

Artist

Terri Waters

Medium

Photograph

Description

A highly coloured UK Goldfinch, also known as Stieglitz or Thistlefinch, with a bright red face and yellow wing patch feeding on the dried lavender in my garden.
Sociable, often breeding in loose colonies, they have a delightful liquid twittering song and call. Their long fine beaks allow them to extract otherwise inaccessible seeds from thistles and teasels.
Increasingly they are visiting bird tables and feeders and are a regular visitor to my garden.
In winter many UK goldfinches migrate as far south as Spain.
These bright little birds can be seen anywhere there are scattered bushes and trees, rough ground with thistles and other seeding plants. They also like orchards, parks, gardens, heathland and commons and most numerous in southern England.

Uploaded

January 25th, 2015