Carduelis carduelis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The European goldfinch, or simply goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is native to the Palearctic zone in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. It has been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay and the United States.
The breeding male has a red face with black markings around the eyes, and a black-and-white head. Its back and flanks are buff or chestnut brown. Its black wings feature a broad yellow bar. Its tail is black and its rump is white. Males and females are very similar, but females have a slightly smaller red area on their face.
The goldfinch is often depicted in Italian Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child. The European goldfinch was one of the birds described and illustrated by Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner in his Historiae animalium of 1555. The first formal description was by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae published in 1758. He introduced the binomial name, Fringilla carduelis. Carduelis is the Latin word for 'goldfinch'. The European goldfinch is now placed in the genus Carduelis that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 5 | Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Valencia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Chester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Novosibirsk Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Cigoland | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | bioparco | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 8 | Zoopark Limpopo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 10 | Zoo Hirschstetten | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 11 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 13 | Hôpital faune sauvage Garrigues - Cévennes | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Ogród Zoologiczny w Katowicach | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 15 | Zoológico La Era de las aves | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Goldfinch sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 714 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 31st most-seen of the 140 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–July, September and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Goldfinch in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against about 20% in August, October and December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Goldfinch sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
23rd of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Eurasian Goldfinch sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 23rd at about 30%. The best odds are in Ecrins National Park (France, about 60%), Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 60%) and Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Fringillidae
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Goldfinch that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Fringillidae, Finches, Euphonias, and Allies) are Chaffinch (about 80%), Eurasian Siskin (about 60%) and European Greenfinch (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Goldfinch is recorded against all the birds logged in Cairngorms National Park (714 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
