European Greenfinch

Chloris chloris

Also known as: Greenfinch, Common Greenfinch, Verdum

About This Species

A stocky, olive-green finch with a flash of yellow in the wings and tail, often first noticed by its wheezy, nasal calls from treetops or overhead wires. It favours woodland edges, hedgerows, parks and gardens, feeding on seeds and berries, and is a regular visitor to bird feeders stocked with sunflower hearts. Look for small flocks moving between feeding sites in autumn and winter, and listen for its distinctive song during spring display flights.

Ethical Viewing Guidelines

As a common garden and hedgerow bird, it tolerates typical garden viewing distances of a few metres from a window or quiet seating area without distress.
Nests and eggs are protected from intentional disturbance under wildlife law in the UK and the EU, so hedges and shrubs with active nests should be left undisturbed until fledging.
General good practice, such as keeping feeders clean to limit disease spread, does more for this species than strict distance rules.

LCAvesPasseriformesFringillidae

Seasonal Activity

5,764,505 sightings · 2000–2026

Citizen science records via GBIF

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Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae

Photo

CC-BY-SA-4.0

Occurrence data from GBIF.