Goldfinch
Age
European goldfinches have a typical lifespan of from 8 to 12 years, although the maximum recorded lifespan is 27 years, with a theoretical lifespan ranging from 19 years to 27 years and 1 month. The age at which the species reaches sexual maturity ranges from 9 months and 1 week to 1 year and 3 months. Development begins with the "Embryo" stage, during which the embryo develops inside an egg and does not feed itself; following this is the "Nestling" stage, where the young bird remains in the nest and is fed by its parents with partially digested seeds and insects for a period of from 2 weeks to 2 weeks and 4 days. The subsequent "Rapid Growth Juvenile" stage lasts from 1 to 10 months, during which the young bird learns to fly and finds food independently. The "Adult" stage, when the bird is capable of reproduction and raising offspring, lasts from 1 year to 8 years and 3 months.
Phenotype
Young goldfinches have bodies covered with sparse grey down; after a period of rapid growth, the plumage of the young is brown without a red mask on the head. Adult goldfinches possess a thin, sharp beak suited for extracting seeds from seed heads, and a red spot around the beak, a black upper head, and white cheeks. The species has a bright yellow stripe on the wing that is visible in flight.
Physiology
European goldfinches measure from 12 to 14 centimeters in body length, with a wingspan of 24 centimeters and a mass ranging from 15.1 to 18.8 grams; the adult stage has a body mass from 14 to 20 grams and a body length from 12 to 14 centimeters. The embryo stage exhibits a body length from 1.5 to 1.8 centimeters, while the nestling stage presents a body mass from 8 to 14 grams and a body length from 10 to 13 centimeters. Following rapid growth, the young have a body mass from 13 to 18 grams and a body length from 12 to 13.5 centimeters.
Habitat
European goldfinches inhabit terrestrial landscapes and forests, including mixed forests with oak, birch, and maple trees, flooded meadows with abundant grass, and taiga forests characterized by coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. The species’ elevation range extends up to 1.5 kilometers above sea level. They are found in areas with consistently wet conditions and frequent rainfall, experiencing cool summers and snowfall in winter, or summers that are warm and pleasant with ample rain, or simply warm summers and mild winters, or summers that are comfortable with temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
Shelter
European goldfinches are found on branches of trees or shrubs at a height of 2 to 10 meters. The species builds or uses a nest as a shelter for laying eggs and raising young. The nest is constructed from blades of grass, small twigs, moss, and cobwebs.
Geography
European goldfinches inhabit the Palearctic biogeographical region and are found in several ecosystems, including Celtic broadleaf forests, broadleaf forests of Western Europe, coniferous forests of the Qilian Mountains, Balkan mixed forests, Baltic mixed forests, and coniferous and mixed forests of the Pyrenees.
Feeding
The goldfinch mainly feeds on plant seeds, most often the seeds of thistle, burdock, and dandelion. In summer, it occasionally catches small insects. The method of obtaining food is pecking seeds from dry inflorescences. Its diet consists of thistle seeds, burdock seeds, dandelion seeds, seeds of other grasses, small insects, seed, insect, and seed. The feeding strategy involves active hunting, searching for, and acquiring food. Daily food requirements range from 2 g to 5 g. Prey includes beetles, butterflies, diptera, hymenoptera, bedbugs, orthoptera, dragonfly, mayfly, and netswing. Enemies of the species (that hunt it) are wolves.
Reproduction
The goldfinch builds a nest and lays 4–6 eggs; the female incubates the clutch, and both parents feed the chicks. Embryonic development lasts 1 week; the brood size is 4–6 fledglings. Maturity occurs at an age of 8 months to 1 year, and the breeding interval is from 1 to 2 months.