Greenfinch
Chloris chloris
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Stocky, olive-green and heavy-billed — and much scarcer at the feeder than it used to be.
A chunky finch with a thick pale bill, olive-green plumage and bright yellow flashes along the wing and tail edges, brightest on males. Greenfinches are birds of gardens, parks, hedgerow and woodland edge across Dumfries. They were once one of the commonest feeder birds in Britain, but a severe outbreak of the disease trichomonosis from 2005 onwards cut the national population by over half, and they are now red-listed.
Behaviour
That heavy bill handles large, hard seeds — sunflower, rose hips, bramble — that finer-billed finches cannot manage. In spring males perform a slow, exaggerated, bat-like display flight around the territory, and give a long drawn-out wheezing 'dzweee' that carries a surprising distance. Because the disease spreads at feeding stations, keeping feeders and bird baths clean directly helps this species locally.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Finches (Fringillidae)
- Size
- 15 cm · sparrow-sized but stockier
- UK status
- Red-listed
Photo by Martin Kunz, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons