European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Presence in the Strait: Resident
Abundance: abundant
IUCN (global): LC · Least concern
In Spanish: Jilguero europeo

Photograph: Susan Marley, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 14 cm
Weight: 15 g

Presence in the Strait

Abundant resident in open areas and wooded areas.

Identification

Brightly coloured with yellow and black pattern on wings, brown back and white underparts; red face-patch, white ear coverts, black crown and nape; black tail with white spots and pointed bill. Juveniles lack red and black on head, with some streaking above and below.

Movements

The most abundant finch during migration, with prenuptial peaks in 1st hf. April and postnuptial in 2nd hf. October.

Ring recoveries

Spain (27), France (27), Morocco (14), Germany (13), Belgium (6), United Kingdom (6), Czech Republic (4), Switzerland (4), Channel Islands (1) and Italy (1).

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Calendar in the Strait

15 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 25 February 1966
Latest record: 10 April 2026

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Not included
Spanish Catalogue: Not included
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: LC · Least concern · breeding
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

1990–1999

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

103 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

Spain27
France27
Morocco14
Germany13
United Kingdom7
Belgium6

See the journey on the map

Same genus in the Strait

Common Linnet14–14 cm · Resident · overlapping size
Eurasian Siskin12–12 cm · Seasonal
Common Redpoll12–13 cm · Vagrant
Citril Finch12–12 cm · Vagrant

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
GBIF taxon key: 2494686

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Susan Marley, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026