The European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is Sweden's most colourful finch, with a red face, black-and-white head and broad yellow wing bands that stand out even against last year's dead thistles in winter. It measures 12-13 cm in length, has a wingspan of 21-25 cm and weighs 14-19 grams. The male shows a bright red face from bill to eye, a black-and-white head pattern with a white forehead and cheeks framed by a black crown and nape, a buff-brown back, black wings with a broad yellow band conspicuous in flight, a white rump and a forked black tail with white tips. The female is nearly identical but with a slightly narrower red facial area, while juveniles lack the red face entirely, showing a mottled beige-brown head until their first autumn moult.
The goldfinch is a talkative finch whose tinkling, flowing flight call, "tikkelitt" or "titit-tit", often gives away a flock before it is seen; the song is a long twittering mix of tinkling, whining and melodic phrases. It breeds in southern and central Sweden up to Norrland, in increasing numbers, densest in the cultivated landscapes of Götaland and Svealand; it is a partial migrant, with some birds wintering in Sweden and most moving to central Europe and North Africa. Breeding runs May to July with usually 1-2 broods: the female builds an elegant, small cup nest of plant down and moss in the outer branches of a deciduous or fruit tree, 2-5 metres up, and lays 4-6 pale blue-white eggs with red spots, incubated for 12-14 days. The species is a seed specialist on composite plants such as thistles, burdocks and dandelions, its narrow bill reaching between the seed heads that other finches cannot access; in winter it also takes alder and birch seeds, and niger seed at feeders.
Read about this species in Swedish →