Physical Characteristics
Instantly recognised by its bright red face mask, white cheeks and black nape. Wings are black with a broad golden-yellow band, very visible in flight. Back is brown, breast whitish with brown patches.
Carduelis carduelis
The European Goldfinch is one of the most vividly coloured birds in our fauna. A symbol of joy due to its crystalline song and exotic plumage. In the Delta it is often seen on waste ground or along roadsides, feeding on seeds of thistle-like plants.
Instantly recognised by its bright red face mask, white cheeks and black nape. Wings are black with a broad golden-yellow band, very visible in flight. Back is brown, breast whitish with brown patches.
Prefers open areas with shrubs, gardens, orchards and woodland edges. In the Danube Delta it successfully occupies anthropogenic zones and ridges where herbaceous vegetation is left to grow.
Specialist in feeding on seeds of composites (thistles, teasels), which it extracts with its fine, pointed bill. Lives in small groups that become larger in winter, wandering short distances in search of food.
LC. Although heavily trapped for cage birds in the past, legal protection has helped maintain healthy populations in Romania.