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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Fringillidae
  4. ›
  5. Carduelis
  6. ›
  7. European Goldfinch
European Goldfinch
Photo · (c) Terra Occ, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis(Linnaeus, 1758)

Updated 11 June 2026

Origin: Native
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Fringillidae
Genus
Carduelis

At a glance

The European Goldfinch is a tiny bird, about 12 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
12 cm
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does an European Goldfinch look like?

The European Goldfinch is a tiny bird, about 12 cm long and weighing 11–30 g.

The European goldfinch or simply the goldfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is native to the Palearctic zone in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. It has been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay and the United States.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
12 cm
Weight
10.8–30 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see an European Goldfinch?

The European Goldfinch is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

04 · Voice

What it sounds like

Call

Terra Occ · Victoria, AU

Call

Terra Occ · Victoria, AU

Call

jonathon love · New South Wales, AU

Call

graeme lunt · J37F+28, Riverside TAS 7250, Australia

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does an European Goldfinch eat?

The European Goldfinch feeds on seeds and terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

3 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the European Goldfinch live in Australia?

The European Goldfinch is native to Australia, recorded across 41 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingTemperate to subtropical west and central Palearctic in woods, scrub and gardens: British Isles, south Scandinavia east through central and south European Russia and north-west Kazakhstan; in south to Iberian Pen., Madeira and Canary Is. (Macaronesia, west of north Africa), Morocco to north Egypt (north Africa), Mediterranean, Turkey, Israel, north Iran.

Non-breedingShort-distance and altitudinal movements

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Non-breeding

8 regions recorded