Eurasian Goldfinch

Eurasian Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Sydney

In 3 days <5%

102 Verified sightings at Sydney
17,234 In all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eurasian Goldfinch

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 →

Sounds

Flight call0:14

France · 2025

© Guillaume Bigayon · XC1186831 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:45

Italy · 2026

© Francesco Sottile · XC1145343 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:51

Finland · 2026

© Olli Väisänen · XC1085742 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~60%
2 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~60%
3 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~60%
4 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~60%
5 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~60%
6 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~60%
7 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~50%
8 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~50%
9 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~50%
10 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~50%
11 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~50%
12 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~40%
13 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~40%
14 Egmont National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~40%
15 Abel Tasman National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~30%
16 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~30%
17 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
~30%
18 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~30%
19 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
20 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
21 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
22 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~30%
23 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
24 Arthur's Pass National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~30%
25 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
26 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
27 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~20%
28 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
~20%
29 Fiordland National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~20%
30 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
31 Aoraki Mount Cook National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~20%
32 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
33 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
34 Rakiura National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~10%
35 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
36 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
37 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
38 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
39 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~80%
2 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~70%
3 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~60%
4 Dublin 🇮🇪 Ireland
~50%
5 Madrid 🇪🇸 Spain
~50%
6 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~50%
7 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~50%
8 Valencia 🇪🇸 Spain
~50%
9 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~50%
10 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~50%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 San Diego Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Dresden Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
3 Chester Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
4 Novosibirsk Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
5 Berlin Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
6 Cigoland 🇫🇷 France In captivity
7 bioparco 🇮🇹 Italy In captivity
8 Zoopark Limpopo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
9 Alpenzoo Innsbruck 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
10 Zoo Hirschstetten 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
11 Aquarium Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
12 Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium 🇮🇪 Ireland In captivity
13 Hôpital faune sauvage Garrigues - Cévennes 🇫🇷 France In captivity
14 Ogród Zoologiczny w Katowicach 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity
15 Zoológico La Era de las aves 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Eurasian Goldfinch in Sydney?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Goldfinch sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 102 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 151st most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Eurasian Goldfinch in Sydney?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Goldfinch in Sydney on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Eurasian Goldfinch?

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.

Is Sydney the best place to see a Eurasian Goldfinch?

64th of 68

Of the 68 cities where we can rate Eurasian Goldfinch sightings, Sydney ranks 64th at under 5%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 80%), Manchester (United Kingdom, about 70%) and Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 60%).

Which relatives of the Eurasian Goldfinch live in Sydney?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Eurasian Goldfinch that you can see in Sydney (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Noisy Miner (about 90%), Australian Magpie (about 80%) and Australian Raven (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Eurasian Goldfinch sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Goldfinch is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (102 verified sightings), 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.

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