Bird guide · Carduelis carduelis
Goldfinch
What the goldfinch eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from across the UK.
- Season
- Partial migrant; many UK birds winter as far south as Spain.
- Size
- 4.7 in (12 cm)
- Eats
- nyjer, sunflower hearts
- Feeds
- tube (nyjer feeder)
- Most common
- England, Wales, Northern Ireland
Food
What do goldfinches eat?
At feeders, goldfinches take nyjer, sunflower hearts.
Sociable and increasingly visiting bird tables and feeders, especially in winter.
Feeder that suits it
A tube or hopper feeder with sunflower seed or sunflower hearts.
Range
Where do goldfinches live?
Widespread where there are bushes and seeding plants, most numerous in southern England. By share of all bird sightings, goldfinches are most common in England (2.1%).
Nations where goldfinches are most common
- England2.1%
- Wales2.0%
- Northern Ireland2.0%
- Scotland1.6%
Share of all bird sightings in each nation that are goldfinches, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the goldfinch migrate?
Partial migrant; many UK birds winter as far south as Spain.. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in July.
Share of all bird sightings in the UK that are goldfinches, by month.
Identification
How to identify the goldfinch
Adults: Red face, black-and-white head, warm brown back and black-and-yellow wings.
Size: 4.7 in (12 cm)
On camera
Getting the goldfinch on a feeder camera
Any seed camera feeder works. Hang it near shrubs for cover, about five feet off the ground, with the lens facing away from direct sun.
Questions
Goldfinch: questions
What do goldfinches eat?
At feeders, nyjer, sunflower hearts.
Do goldfinches migrate?
Partial migrant; many UK birds winter as far south as Spain.. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in July.
Where do goldfinches live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland.