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European Goldfinch juvenile
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
European Goldfinch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Goldfinch or European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is a small passerine bird in the finch family.
Habitat and range
It breeds across Europe, North Africa, and western and central Asia, in open, partially wooded lowlands. It is resident in the milder west of its range, but migrates from colder regions. It will also make local movements, even in the west, to escape bad weather. It has been introduced to many areas of the world (Snow and Perrins 1998).
Description
The average Goldfinch is 12-13 cm long with a wingspan of 21-25 cm and a weight of 14 to 19 grams. The sexes are broadly similar, with a red face, black and white head, warm brown upperparts, white underparts with buff flanks and breast patches, and black and yellow wings. On closer inspection male Goldfinches can often be distinguished by a larger, darker red mask that extends just behind the eye. In females, the red face does not reach the eye. The ivory-coloured bill is long and pointed, and the tail is forked. Goldfinches in breeding condition have a white bill, with a greyish or blackish mark at the tip for the rest of the year. Juveniles have a plain head and a greyer back but are unmistakable due to the yellow wing stripe. Birds in central Asia (caniceps group) have a plain grey head behind the red face, lacking the black and white head pattern of European and western Asian birds.
Taxonomy
The species is divided into two major groups, each comprising several races. The two groups intergrade at their boundary, so the caniceps group is not recognised as a distinct species despite its readily distinguishable plumage.
Carduelis carduelis carduelis group.
• Carduelis carduelis balcanica. Southeastern Europe.
• Carduelis carduelis brevirostris. Crimea, north Caucasus.
• Carduelis carduelis britannica. British Isles.
• Carduelis carduelis carduelis. Most of European mainland, Scandinavia.
• Carduelis carduelis loudoni. South Caucasus, Iran.
• Carduelis carduelis major. Western Siberia.
• Carduelis carduelis niediecki. Southwest Asia, northeast Africa.
• Carduelis carduelis parva. Atlantic Islands, Iberia, northwest Africa.
• Carduelis carduelis tschusii. Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily.
Carduelis carduelis caniceps group.
• Carduelis carduelis caniceps. Southern central Asia.
• Carduelis carduelis paropanisi. Afghanistan to western Himalaya and Tien Shan.
• Carduelis carduelis subulata. South-central Siberia.
Linnaeus classified the bird as Fringilla carduelis
Behaviour
The food is small seeds such as thistles (the Latin name is from carduus, thistle) and teasels, but insects are also taken when feeding young. It also regularly visits bird feeders in winter. They nest in the outer twigs of tall leafy trees, or even in bamboo, laying four to six eggs which hatch in 11-14 days.
In the winter they group together to form flocks of up to about 40 birds, occasionally more.
The song is a pleasant silvery twittering. The call is a melodic tickeLIT, and the song is a pleasant tinkling medley of trills and twitters, but always including the trisyllabic call phrase or a teLLIT-teLLIT-teLLIT.
In earlier times, the Goldfinch was kept as a cagebird for its song. Escapes from captivity and deliberate releases have colonised southeastern Australia and New Zealand.
Goldfinches are attracted to back gardens in Europe and North America by birdfeeders containing niger (commercially described as nyjer seed). This seed of an annual from South Asia is small, and high in oils. Special polycarbonate feeders with small oval slits at which the Goldfinches feed are sometimes used.
Relationships with humans
Goldfinches are commonly kept and bred in captivity around the world because of their distinctive appearance and pleasant song. The Goldfinch males are sometimes crossed with Canary females with the intention to produce male mules with beautiful singing voices, that often capture the best singing attributes of both breeds.
Because of the thistle seeds it eats, in Christian symbolism the Goldfinch is associated with the Passion and Christ's Crown of Thorns. The Goldfinch, appearing in pictures of the Madonna and the Christ Child, represents the foreknowledge Jesus and Mary had of the Crucifixion. Examples include the Madonna del cardellino or Madonna of the Goldfinch, painted (c. 1505-1506) by the Italian renaissance artist Raphael, in which John the Baptist offers the goldfinch to Christ in warning of his future. In Barocci's Holy Family a goldfinch is held in the hand of John the Baptist who holds it high out of reach of an interested cat. In Cima da Conegliano's Madonna and Child, a goldfinch flutters in the hand of the Christ Child. It is also an emblem of endurance, fruitfulness, and persistence. Because it symbolizes the Passion, the goldfinch is considered a "saviour" bird and may be pictured with the common fly (which represents sin and disease). During medieval times, this bird was used by some as a charm to ward off the plague.
Antonio Vivaldi composed a Concerto in D major for Flute "Il Gardellino" (RV 428, Op. 10 No. 3), where the singing of the Goldfinch is imitated by a flute. |
siggi, Juyona, jaycee, maurydv, boreocypriensis, Noisette, haraprasan, Argus has marked this note useful
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- nglen
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2924 W: 34 N: 8671]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif)
(32310) - [2009-06-24 13:26]
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HI Jose. You have taken a good side view of the Goldfinch. You have taken it with good detail and natural colours.. A good POV/DOF. Well done TFS.
Nick..
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- siggi
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1385 W: 56 N: 4777]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(16434) - [2009-06-24 13:31]
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Hello Jose,
This is a very good picture.
Very good colours, sharpness, nice composition and colours.Very well done.
Best regards Siggi
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- Juyona
(15641)
- [2009-06-24 13:41]
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Hola José
Hermoso juvenil de pintasilgo.
sensacional foco y pov.
excelente trabajo,
saludos
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- briGG
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 171 W: 2 N: 272]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(1383) - [2009-06-24 13:47]
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Hi Jose.
A fine and cute close up of the juvenile Carduelis carduelis!
Very natural!
TFS
Brigitte
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- lousat
(19673)
- [2009-06-24 14:12]
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Hi Jose,i like a lot the great sharpness and the perfect focus on the little goldfinch,also the soft colors and the nice backgrouns are the best for this great result.My best compliments,have a good night! Luciano
Pi Jose
Boa fotografia, muito claras e totalmente natural cor. Bom para a ISO 400 velocidade 1/1250, bem sucedido, bem equilibrada com uma leve, muito bom trabalho.
TFS!
Jesús
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- jaycee
(21912)
- [2009-06-24 16:28]
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Hi Jose,
You have found a wonderful setting for your lovely bird pictures. I love the perch and the position of this young Goldfinch. Beautiful natural colors and fine details of the face, eye and plumage. Excellent background and composition.
Jane
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- PeterZ
(17712)
- [2009-06-25 10:32]
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Hello Jose,
Very beautiful photo of this Goldfinch in excellent natural colours and good sharpness. Superb composition and OOF BG.
Regards,
Peter
Hello Jose,
a very beautiful capture of a juvenile European Goldfinch, very good sharpness, splendid light and colours, very lovely pose of the cute bird against a good OOF BG.
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio
Hi Jose, a fine capture of a juvenile Goldfinch with lovely pose and excellent details. Nice composition too.
TFS and cheers,
Bayram
Hello Jose
excellent shot of this young goldfinch, he have not yet the beauiful colors of the adults but he is very cute and i like his pose on this tree branch
the bird is well focused, nice BG
Have a good night
Jacqueline
Hi Jose,
A nice capture of this juvenile of European Goldfinch. Very well composed shot with sharp details. Thanks a lot for sharing.
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- Argus
(35161)
- [2009-06-26 7:46]
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Hello José,
A fine portrait of a juvenile European Goldfinch, not often seen as a juvenile on TN! Technically this is of high standard taken from a great POV and well composed against the fine natural neutral BG.
Thanks and have a good weekend,
Ivan
Excelente composición y encuadre, mucha naturalidd en los colores y buen enfoque al motivo, lástima que el pecho quedara un poco desenfocado ya que si no la foto es de concurso !
Saludos Jose: Josep Ignasi.
