Birds / Finches

Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Also known as European goldfinch

Common All year Gardens Farmland Towns

Test yourself

Recording: Ruud van Beusekom / xeno-canto

Sounds like

Bright, liquid, tinkling twitters with a 'tickelit' call, often from small flocks feeding on seed heads.

Remember it

Wind chimes in a light breeze.

When and where

Listening for the goldfinch

Heard: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feb to Aug
Time of day: Day
Where: Gardens, Farmland, Towns
In Britain: All year
Family: Finches

Side by side

Often confused with

Play them one after the other and listen for the difference.

Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

JFMAMJJASOND

Wind chimes in a light breeze.

Linnet

Linaria cannabina

JFMAMJJASOND

A babbling, buzzy chatter. Listen for it around gorse.

Greenfinch

Chloris chloris

JFMAMJJASOND

A drawn-out nasal wheeze, like a sigh through the nose.

Could you pick out a goldfinch?

Hear a song, choose from four birds, and build your streak.

Play the quiz

Same habitat

Also in gardens

See all

Blackbird

Turdus merula

JFMAMJJASOND

Slow, rich, fluting phrases that wander about and often trail off into a quiet chuckle.

Blue Tit

Cyanistes caeruleus

JFMAMJJASOND

Two or three thin, high notes followed by a fast, shimmering trill: 'tsee-tsee-tsuhuhuhu'.

Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs

JFMAMJJASOND

A cheerful, accelerating run of notes that tumbles down and ends in a flourish, repeated over and over.

Coal Tit

Periparus ater

JFMAMJJASOND

A fast, high, two-note phrase repeated several times: 'pitchoo-pitchoo-pitchoo'.