European goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Photo by Franck Renard (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
European goldfinch (en); pintassilgo-comum (pt); chardonneret élégant (fr); jilguero (es); stieglitz (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae

Range:
This species is found throughout most of Europe, from the Mediterranean to southern Scandinavia, including the British Isles, and east into central Asia as far east as western Mongolia and China and northern India. It is also found in northern Africa along the Mediterranean coast. The European goldfinch has been introduced to southern Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay, Cape Verde and Bermuda.

Size:
These birds are 12-13,5 cm long and have a wingspan of 21-25 cm. They weigh 14-19 g.

Habitat:
The European goldfinch is found in a wide range of habitats, including temperate forests, grasslands, scrublands, freshwater wetlands, pastures and arable land, orchards and also urban areas.

Diet:
They feed on the seeds of various grasses and herbs, namely  teasels, thistels, knapweeds, groundsels, ragworts and dandelions.

Breeding:
European goldfinches breed in April-July. They nest in a cup made of moss, grass and lichen, and lined with wool and plant down. The nest is placed on an outer branch of a leafy tree or scrub, often in a garden, orchard or hedgerow. The re the female lays 3-7 pale blue eggs with reddish markings, which she incubates alone for 10-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 13-18 days after hatching. Each pair raises 2-3 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 73,5-348 million individuals, although this estimate requires further validation. The population has had a stable trend in Europe over the last 3 decades.

Black rosy finch

Leucosticte atrata

(Photo from Planet of Birds)

Common name:
black rosy finch (en); tentelhão-rosado negro (pt); roselin noir (fr); pinzón rosado negro (es); rosenbauch-schneegimpel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the western United States, breeding in Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and marginally in Oregon and Nevada. Outside the breeding season they wander a bit further into Colorado, northern New Mexico and north-eastern California.

Size:
These birds are 14-16 cm long and have a wingspan of 33 cm. They weigh 22-32 g.

Habitat:
The black rosy finch is found in high-altitude grasslands and alpine rocks, also using desert areas during the winter. They are found at altitudes of 3.000-4.500 m.

Diet:
The feed on the seeds of grasses and weeds, which are supplemented with insects during the summer.

Breeding:
Black rosy finches breed in June-August. The nest is a bulky cup made of grasses, moss, and sometimes feathers mixed with grass and animal hair. It is placed in a crevice or hole in a cliff, usually in an inaccessible place, or sometimes in a niche among boulders of a rock slide. There the female lays 3-6 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 20 days after hatching, only becoming fully independent 2 weeks later. Each pair raises a single brood per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 20.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Purple finch

Carpodacus purpureus

Photo by Simon Barrette (Wikipedia)

Common name:
purple finch (en); peito-rosado-púrpura (pt); roselin pourpré (fr); carpodaco morado (es); purpurgimpel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae

Range:
This North American species is found breeding in southern and western Canada, along the west coast of the United States down to southern California and in the north-eastern United States. The more northern population migrate south to winter in the eastern half of the United States and along the Pacific coast down to northern Mexico.

Size:
These birds are 12-15 cm long and have a wingspan of 22-26 cm. They weigh 20-35 g.

Habitat:
The purple finch is found in coneferous and mixed forests, as well as in parks and gardens within urban areas, orchards, pastures and arable land.

Diet:
They mainly feed on seeds and buds, but will also eat insects and berries during spring and summer. They are known to eat the seeds and buds of elms Ulmus sp., tuliptree Liriodendron  tulipifera, maples Acer sp., sweet gum Liquidambar  styraciflua, sycamores Platanus sp., ash Fraxinus sp., red cedar Juniperus virginiana, juniper Juniperus communis and mountain ash Sorbus sp.

Breeding:
Purple finches breed in April-August. They are monogamous and the female build the nest alone. The nest is a cup made of twigs, roots and dry grasses, and lined with fine rootlets, hairs and moss. It is placed on an horizontal branch of a conifer, usually far from the trunk and 2-20 m above the ground. The female lays 4-6 pale greenish-blue eggs with brown or black speckles, which are incubated by the female for 13 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 13-16 days after hatching. Each pair raises a single brood per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 3 million individuals. The population is undergoing a small decline, especially in the eastern parts of their range where the rate of decline reaches 1-2,5 % per year. The decline is most likely due to competition by introduced house finches Carpodacus mexicanus and house sparrows Passer domesticus.

Hooded siskin

Carduelis magellanica

Common name:
hooded siskin (en); pintassilgo-de-cabeça-preta (pt); chardonneret de Magellan (fr); cabecitanegra común (es); Magellanzeisig (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae

Range:
This South American species is found in central Venezuela, through eastern Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and into central and southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina.

Size:
These birds are 10-14 cm long and weigh 11-15 g.

Habitat:
The hooded siskin is found in dry woodlands and savannas, temperate forests, scrublands, grasslands and plantations, from sea level up to an altitude of 5.000 m.

Diet:
The forage both on the ground and in the vegetation, mainly eating the seeds, buds and leaves of several plant species such as thistles and Lactuca. They also eat some insetcs.

Breeding:
Hooded siskins breed in October-June. The nest is a small cup made by the female with fine plant materials. It is placed on a tall tree-top. There the female lays 2-3 eggs, which she incubates alone for 12-13 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are mainly fed by the female, while the male gathers the food, and fledge about 14 days after hatching. They continue to rely on their parents for a few days after fledging.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

European greenfinch

Carduelis chloris

Photo by J. Romãozinho (Pescador de Aves)

Common name:
European greenfinch (en); verdilhão (pt); verdier d'Europe (fr); verderón común (es); grünfink (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae

Range:
This species is found throughout most of Europe, with the exception of northern Scandinavia, northern Russia and Iceland. They are also found in north-west Africa, from Morocco to Tunisia, and in near Asia, from Turkey, Israel and Jordan, through northern Iran and into southern Kazakhstan. Some of the more northern populations migrate south to winter around the Mediterranean Sea. The European greenfinch was also introduced to south-eastern Australia and New Zealand.

Size:
These birds are 14-16 cm long and have a wingspan of 25-28 cm. They weigh 25-30 g.

Habitat:
The European greenfinch is found in open woodlands, temperate and boreal forests, scrublands, pastures, arable land, plantations and in parks and gardens within urban areas.

Diet:
They mainly feed on seeds, using their powerful bill to break them open, but also take buds, berries, and even some insects during the breeding season.

Breeding:
The European greenfinch breeds in April-August. They are territorial, solitary nesters, but sometimes form loose colonies. The nest is a bulky cup made of dried grasses and moss, and lined with plant fibres, rootlets, fur, feathers and wool.It is placed in a fork in a tree, not very far from the ground. There the female lays 4-6 glossy pale blue or creamy white eggs with reddish markings. The eggs are incubated by female for 13-15 days, while the male provides her with food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 16-18 days after hatching. Each pair  raises 2-3 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 44,7-128 million individuals. In Europe, the populations has undergone a moderate decline since 1980, but the species is not threatened at present.

Pine grosbeak

Pinicola enucleator

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:
pine grosbeak (en); pintarroxo-de-bico-grosso (pt); dubec des sapins (fr); camachuelo picogrueso (es); hakengimpel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae

Range:
These birds are widely distributed in the northern parts of America and Eurasia, being found in Alaska, Canada and the northern United States, as well as Scandinavia, Russia, Mongolia, north-eastern China and northern Japan.

Size:
They are 20-25 cm long and have a wingspan of 32-35 cm. They weigh 52-78 g.

Habitat:
During the breeding season pine grosbeaks are found in open sub-Arctic and boreal forests, especially in areas dominated by conifers, but also in mixed forests. Outside the breeding season they are also found in agricultural areas and even within urban areas.

Diet:
They feed on the seeds, buds and fruits of mountain ash, ash trees, box elder, juniper and spruce, also taking Rowan berries in winter. During the breeding season they hunt insects to feed the nestlings.

Breeding:
Pine grosbeaks breed in May-July. The female builds the nest, a loosely built cup made of twigs and dwarf shrub stems, lined with root fibre, straw, reindeer hair and moss fragments. There she lays 2-5 pale blue eggs with dark-brown, purple and black markings. The eggs are incubated by the female alone for 13-14 days, while the male provides her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 13-14 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at over 4 million individuals. The population in North America has undergone a large decline of over 25% per decade over the last 4 decades, but the species is not considered threatened at present.

Scottish crossbill

Loxia scotica

Photo by David Whitaker (Wild Photo Forum)

Common name:
Scottish crossbill (en); cruza-bico-escocês (pt); bec-croisé d'Écosse (fr); piquituerto escocés (es); Schottland-kreuzschnabel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae


Range:
This species is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, in the eastern Highlands, with core areas in Nairn, Moray and Banff, extending down into lower Deeside, and in Sutherland.


Size:
These birds are 16 cm long and weigh 40-45 g.


Habitat:
The Scottish crossbill is found in semi-natural stands of Scots pine Pinus sylvestris and in conifer plantations.

Diet:

They mainly feed on pine seeds, but will also eat shoots and buds. In spring they also eat insects, namely pine sawfly Neodiprion sertifer.

Breeding:

Scottish crossbills breed in February-June. The cup-shaped nest is made of twigs, grasses, straws and lichen, and lined with moss, feather and animal fur. The nest is usually placed in a pine tree, 5-15 m above the ground. The female lays 2-6 eggs, which she incubates alone for 13-15 days while receivinf food from the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge  about 3 weeks after hatching, but continue to receive food from the parents for another 10 days.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

Although this species has a small breeding range and a global population of just 13.600 individuals, the population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. Suitable semi-natural habitats have been much reduced and fragmented in the past, but the amount of plantation woodland has increased substantially during the 20th century, so the Scottish crossbill is not considered threatened at present.

Yellow-billed grosbeak

Eophona migratoria

Photo by Tim Edelsten (Birds Korea)

Common name:
yellow-billed grosbeak (en); bico-grossudo-chinês (pt); gros-bec migrateur (fr); pepitero de cola negra (es); weißhand-Kernbeißer (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae


Range:
These birds breed in south-eastern Russia, Korea, Mongolia and eastern China, and migrate south to winter in southern China and Taiwan, in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.


Size:
The yellow-billed grosbeak is 16-18 cm long and weighs 40-50 g.


Habitat:
They are mostly found in temperate forests, both coniferous, deciduous and mixed. They can also be found in bamboo thickets, scrublands, plantations, gardens and parks.


Diet:
They mostly eat seeds of various trees and scrubs, but are also known to eat bamboo leaves and the chicks are mostly fed insects during the nestling period.


Breeding:
Yellow-billed grosbeaks breed in May-October. The nest cup is made of twigs and roots and placed in a fork in a tree or scrub. There the female lays 3-5 bluish eggs with brown markings, which she incubates alone for 11-13 days. The chicks fledge 10-14 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 2-3 weeks later. 


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as locally common, scarce or irregular. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Eurasian linnet

Carduelis cannabina

Photo by Anne van der  Wal (Flickr)

Common name:
Eurasian linnet (en); pintarroxo-comum (pt); linotte mélodieuse (fr); pardillo común (es); bluthänfling (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae


Range:
These birds are found throughout most of Europe, in North Africa, and into Asia as far as western Siberia, western China and northern Afghanistan.


Size:
Eurasian linnets are 13-14 cm long and have a wingspan of 23 cm. They weigh 15-20 g.


Habitat:
They are mostly associated with farmland areas, but occur in weedy fields, hedgerows, orchards, heathland, scrubland, grassland, saltmarshes, gardens and parks.


Diet:
They mostly eat the seeds of various herbs and trees, including polygonums, crucifers, chickweeds, dandelions, thistle, sow-thistle, mayweed, common groundsel, common hawthorn and birch. They also eat small insects, especially aphids.


Breeding:
Eurasian linnets are monogamous. They breed in April-June and both sexes build the nest, a thick cup made of dry grass , weed stems and moss, lined with animal hair , wool or fine roots. The nest is placed in a dense hedge, scrub or thorny tree. There the female lays 4-7 white or bluish-green eggs with red-brown spots. The female incubates the eggs alone for 11-13 days while being fed by the male. The chicks are fed by the female, but the male is responsible for collecting the food. They fledge 12-14 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 2 weeks later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 40-150 million individuals. Populations in Europe have undergone a moderate decline over the last 3 decades, but the species is not threatened at present.