Goldfinches are thought of as one of the big successes of garden bird feeding.  According to figures provided by British Trust for Ornithology volunteers, Goldfinch numbers fell sharply from the mid 1970s until the mid 1980s, at the same time that many other farmland birds were finding life tough.  The last twenty years have seen a significant population increase for this attractive little finch, lifting the species from the amber list, where it was considered a species of conservation concern, into the green category. These population changes can be explained almost entirely by changes in annual survival rates, which could well be linked to increased use of garden bird tables. 

Adult Goldfinches are easy to identify, with their smart red, white and black head-patterns but young birds, which do not have any colour on their heads, can cause some confusion.  In all plumages, immature birds have a bold patch of yellow in their wings and distinctive white spots at the tips of their black flight feathers.  If you get a really good view, try to see if you can decide which adult birds are males and which ones are females.  The red patch extends behind the eye in a male but not in a female.  There could be some interesting discussion over the breakfast table as you try to sort them out!

According to the BTO’s Garden BirdWatchers, who monitor the comings and goings at their bird feeders on a weekly basis, visiting Goldfinches are most likely to be seen in March and April, when weed seeds are in short supply in fields and grass verges.  This is also a time when it is important to get into good condition for the forthcoming breeding season.  Goldfinches used to be fussy eaters, specialising upon nyjer seed taken from special feeders or taken from the heads of teasels.  Where nyjer is not available, they now take readily to sunflower hearts or even black sunflower seeds and peanuts.

Although late winter and early spring is the best time to look out for Goldfinches, some birds may well choose to spend their whole year in bigger gardens.  They set their nests in the forks of trees, higher off the ground than other finches and sometimes at up to 15 metres.  The usual clutch size is five or six is incubated for 12 or 13 days.  Youngsters leave the nest after 13 to 15 days, having been fed on a diet of regurgitated seeds and insects.  As with many species, insects are really important in the first few days of life.  Most pairs will raise two broods of youngsters in a season and having three broods is not uncommon.  The breeding season lasts from April September.

Many Goldfinches migrate south for the winter, mainly into Spain and Portugal, but what is thought to be an increasing number stay in Britain all year round.  There are a small number of movements of birds wearing metal rings that show that birds may choose a different strategy in different years.  This decision ‘shall I stay or shall I go?’ is probably affected by food availability and winter weather.  With first class food on offer and a lower chance of cold winters it is perhaps unsurprising that we are seeing more of these delightful birds in our gardens.  How apt that the collective name for Goldfinches is a charm.

Graham Appleton
The British Trust for Ornithology