European Greenfinch

Chloris chloris (Linnaeus, 1758)

15 cmLength25 cmWingspan26 gWeight

About the size of Eurasian Tree Sparrow, it is greenish overall with yellow on the wings and tail and a thick, heavy bill.

Busiest months: April · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Body feathers mainly green, with yellow on the wings and tail
Bill thick, heavy and conical
Body length about 15 cm, similar in size to Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Male, female and young

The female and juvenile are duller, with a brown tinge on the back.

Voice

The song includes many trills and twitters, interspersed with wheezing notes.

Where and when it's recorded

European Greenfinch has been recorded at 1,591 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 79 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Desembocadura del Guadalhorce – ÁreaSpain4,687 records
Jerusalem Bird ObservatoryIsrael4,355 records
Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom3,671 records

More places

Beddington FarmlandsUnited Kingdom3,035 records
Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom3,018 records
Urdaibai RB – bird center y laguna de OruetaSpain2,878 records
Spurn Bird Observatory Recording AreaUnited Kingdom2,596 records
Rutland WaterUnited Kingdom2,280 records
WWT London Wetland CentreUnited Kingdom2,214 records
South Downs NP – Pulborough Brooks RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom2,194 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United Kingdom Spain Portugal New Zealand Germany Israel Australia Sweden

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The European greenfinch, or simply the greenfinch (Chloris chloris), is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the European Greenfinch?

The European Greenfinch is about 15 cm long, with a wingspan of 25 cm and weighs around 26 g.

Where does the European Greenfinch live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: subarctic to subtropical western, central Palearctic in woods, gardens, oases: British Isles and northern Scandinavia east to northwestern Kazakhstan, northern Xinjiang (northwestern China) and Krasnoyarsk (south-central Russia); in south to Iberian Peninsula, Madeira and Canary Islands (Macaronesia, west of northern Africa), Morocco to Tunisia (northwestern, north-central Africa) and northeastern Egypt, Mediterranean to Turkey, Cyprus, Levant. northern Iraq and northern Iran through Altai region to southeastern Kazakhstan. It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal.

When is the best time to see the European Greenfinch?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the European Greenfinch endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the European Greenfinch as Least Concern.

What does the European Greenfinch eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the European Greenfinch in?

It belongs to the family Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 15 cm
Wingspan: 25 cm
Weight: 26 g
Habitat: Woodland
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 85 mm
Tail: 56 mm
Bill: 14 mm
Tarsus: 17 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: subarctic to subtropical western, central Palearctic in woods, gardens, oases: British Isles and northern Scandinavia east to northwestern Kazakhstan, northern Xinjiang (northwestern China) and Krasnoyarsk (south-central Russia); in south to Iberian Peninsula, Madeira and Canary Islands (Macaronesia, west of northern Africa), Morocco to Tunisia (northwestern, north-central Africa) and northeastern Egypt, Mediterranean to Turkey, Cyprus, Levant. northern Iraq and northern Iran through Altai region to southeastern Kazakhstan

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2