Chloris chloris
The European Greenfinch, *Chloris chloris*, is a medium-sized, stocky true finch (family Fringillidae) instantly recognizable by its vibrant green plumage, particularly in males. Measuring 14-16 cm in length with a wingspan of 25-28 cm and weighing 17-34 grams, males exhibit striking yellow flashes on their primaries and tail sides, contrasting with their olive-green body and greyish flight feathers. Females are duller, with more subdued green-grey tones, and juveniles are heavily streaked br...
Found in a variety of open and semi-open habitats, including parks, gardens, farmland with hedgerows and scattered trees, woodland edges, and coastal scrub, generally at low to moderate elevations.
Primarily granivorous, feeding on a wide variety of seeds, particularly those from trees (e.g., elm, pine) and weeds (e.g., thistle, dandelion), supplemented with berries and, especially for nestlings, small insects and invertebrates. They forage by gleaning from plants or the ground.
European Greenfinches are diurnal and highly social birds, often forming large, vocal flocks outside the breeding season that can number in the hundreds, frequently associating with other finches. During winter, they gather at communal roosts. Foraging involves gleaning seeds from the ground, low...
The European Greenfinch has a wide distribution across the Western Palearctic, breeding throughout most of Europe, extending eastward across parts of temperate Asia into western Siberia and south into North Africa and the Middle East. Its range encompasses countries from Scandinavia and the Briti...
Least Concern
- The male Greenfinch performs a unique, slow-motion "butterfly flight" display during courtship, showcasing his bright yellow wing flashes. - Its distinctive "wheezing" song, often described as a drawn-out "twee-eee-et," is easily recognizable in European gardens. - European Greenfinch populatio...