European Greenfinch

Male Greenfinch ( Carduelis chloris )   Singing? / I

The Greenfinch ( Carduelis chloris ), also called green body, is a bird of the finch family, which is found throughout Europe, northern Africa and southwestern Asia. The majority of green finches are resident birds, some of the more northern populations draw but in winter to western and southern Europe.

Features

The Greenfinch is about as big as the house sparrow with 14 to 16 cm body length. The body, head and beak are remarkably strong. The beak is light horn color. The outer webs of primaries are yellow, resulting in a green field yellow wings. When folded wings, the outer edge is thus also clear yellow. The proximal portions of the tail feathers are also yellow.

The male is gray-green to yellow-green underside of the body and on the top. The rump is bright green. The cheeks, throat, neck and greater wing-coverts are gray, the flanks are light gray. On the Wings is a gray wing box in the secondaries. The tips of the large feathers are dark. The throat is dirty yellow. The legs are flesh-colored.

The female is much duller and less total yellow colored than the male. The entire Körperbefiederung is weak along dashed lines. Your top and head are brown, the underside of the fuselage is a pale greenish- gray. The throat is bright, the cheeks brown.

The juvenile plumage is much brighter, the underside of the body whitish streaked with light gray vertical stripes, the top blurred gray-brown and slightly along. The yellow coloration of the wing is very indistinct. To the eye is a pale gray area. The large wing-coverts have broad, beige end seams. In females and young birds the legs are dark sand color. For all the iris is dark.

Voice

Call of the Green finch is a short, loud " jüpp ", which is usually repeated in rapid series. There is also increased for a short trills, as the " djüp - ruep - ruep " sounds about. The call can also rising, according to sound like " juÍT ".

The song occurs in two very different types. An unmusical, vibrant and croaking for " dschrüüüüjuh " sounding tone that is repeated with long pauses. The other type is more comfortable, elongated and similar to the canary. It consists of trills, whistles and fast chirping and sounds a little like " djüpp - djüpp - djüpp djürrrrrrrr tuj - tuj tuj - Duit tjipp - tjipp - tjipp - tjipp dürdürdürdür djürrrrrrr " or the like. Sometimes both vocal types are mixed.

Habitat

The Greenfinch is a common breeding bird in copses, forest edges, in pastures with bushes, in village gardens and parks. It often occurs in cities.

Reproduction

It breeds from April to June. The cup-shaped nest of twigs and stems with soft nest hollow is found in hedges and dense bushes. The nest consists of 5-6 whitish eggs with dark brown spots and dots. While only the female incubates the eggs in 13-14 days, both parents feed the nestlings. The diet consists mainly of berries, buds and seeds.

Greenfinch

Green finch nest with eggs in a flower box

Fledging young birds just before leaving the nest

Greenfinch in flight

Young birds are fed by the male

Stock

The stock in Germany is estimated at 1.7 to 2.6 million couples. The species is thus in 2008 in the list of common breeding birds in 13th place. The green compact is " not threatened " on the Red List of IUCN.

Green finches dying in 2009

Since the beginning of May 2009, a mass mortality of exemplary green finches was observed in the north of Germany. This was caused by the protozoan Trichomonas gallinae. According to estimates of NABU Germany far died tens of thousands of birds in trichomonads.

When trichomonas infection source comes in addition to direct contact among the animals, especially drinking water at feeding sites in question, in which the pathogen can survive for up to 24 hours. At such points of collection of birds, the risk of disease transmission is particularly high. NABU therefore called in July 2009 to not to feed wild birds and bird baths for the time being to remove from the garden. For summer 2010, there were on the NABU - page, no such recommendations more.

Disease symptoms are strong primarily fluffing, lethargic behavior ( the bird seems apathetic or even sleepy, sometimes short of breath ), lack of flight reflex, also possibly swallowing or a glued -looking beak. The animals then die within a short time.