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Bird Sightings : Hebrides : Greenfinch

Adult Greenfinch feeding a fledgling

Greenfinch

(European Greenfinch, Green Linnet, Gringoe, Greeny, Greenie, Greenfynch, Greenbird)

Carduelis carduelis

Photography © Frank Stark
Leurbost - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides (Western Isles)
13th August 2008

 

Our Greenfinch photographs

Greenfinch juvenile	Greenfinch male	Greenfinch adult feeding fledgling	Greenfinches sheltering from a gale

 

• Greenfinch
• Carduelis chloris:
• UK: Summer 695 territories BTO
• UK: Resident breeder, winter visitor
• WI: Uncommon resident breeder (10-99 breeding pairs)
• Breeding: Nests in trees or bushes. 2 broods of 4-5 eggs. Mostly resident. (Some northernmost birds migrate further south). Europe, South-west Asia, North Africa (introduced to New Zealand).
• Habitat: Mostly close to man. Thick vegetation. Open woodland, arable or pasture farmland, gardens.
• Diet: Seeds: inc rose-hips, cereal grain, some invertebrates. Insects for nestlings
• Large (14-16cm) chunky finch. Mainly olive-green (yellow in wings & tail). Female & juveniles duller. Brownish backs. Bill very thick, conical. Male display flight butterfly-like. Sociable & squabbles. Often forms flocks(up to 40 birds) with other finches (& buntings) outside of breeding season
• Max recorded age 12 yrs, typical lifespan 2 yrs
• Listen to a Greenfinch (RSPB site). Song wheezes & liquid twitters.
• Similar birds: Siskin

 

The majority of the Greenfinch in the UK are resident, but some birds migrate south to continental Europe. Most of the UK's incoming winter visitors are from Norway.

 

Two or more finches are called a charm.

A fledgling is a young bird from the time it first leaves the nest until it is independent of the care of it's parents.

 

Greenfinch records in the Western Isles

Uncommon resident breeder (10-99 breeding pairs)
Source: Outer Hebrides Bird Report (2001)

 

There are breeding records of Greenfinch from plantations and other pockets of woodland across the Western Isles. Greenfinch seen here in areas outside of their breeding environment are likely to be passage migrants.

On the chart below the darker the shade of blue the more abundant the Greenfinch is during a month or the more likely you are to see it.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D

(Source: Outer Hebrides Birds Checklist)

 

Frank's web site of his nature photography
www.frankstark.com

Other local bird photographs

Sources of information for the bird sightings section

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