Goldfinch feeding

The European goldfinch is a charming little bird that is a familiar sight in gardens. It is a sociable bird, constantly on the move, and can often be seen in flocks when feeding. It has a light, bouncing flight and a delightful twittering call, often singing loudly as it passes overhead. Goldfinches tend to migrate south during the winter although more and more are staying in the UK partly due to the abundance of food in gardens, such as sunflower hearts and niger seed
Adult male goldfinches have brown mantles and white rumps. The upperwing is black with a bright yellow wingbar and white tips to the flight feathers. The tail is black with white patches on the outer rectrices and white tips on the median rectrices. The underparts are white with buff patches on the sides of the breast and flanks.
On the head the face is bright red with black lores and black around the base of the bill. The crown and sides of the head are black and they have white cheeks, ear coverts, nape, and throat.
Goldfinches have a white stout, conical bill, the eyes are dark brown, and the legs and feet are pink.
Female goldfinches are very similar to males but the red on the face does not extend as far behind the eyes as it does in the male, although there is some overlap so can be hard to tell in the field.
Juveniles are duller than adults and lack the face pattern. The mantle is olive-brown streaked with dark grey and the sides of the breast and flanks have grey spots. The head is pale grey with fine black streaks.