European Goldfinch: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Garden Birds of Europe · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. Its bill works like tweezers to pluck out hard-to-reach seeds. In Armenia, one goldfinch picked 30 seeds out of a sunflower head within an hour.
2. Goldfinches love thistle seeds so much that their Latin name comes from Carduus, a group of thistles.
3. The female builds the nest by herself in about a week while the male tags along. Its deep cup stops the eggs rolling out on windy days.
4. Italian Renaissance artists often painted goldfinches. Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch, from around 1505, is a famous example.
5. A whole district of Berlin, Steglitz, takes its name from the goldfinch.

The quiz

1. In Armenia, how many seeds did one goldfinch take from a sunflower head in an hour?

• 3
• 300
• 30 (correct)
• 3,000

That one bird picked 30 seeds out of a sunflower head in one hour.

2. The goldfinch's Latin name comes from which plant?

• Thistles (correct)
• Sunflowers
• Dandelions
• Oak trees

It comes from Carduus, a genus of thistles.

3. Who builds the goldfinch's nest?

• The male alone
• Both parents equally
• Last year's young
• The female alone (correct)

The female does all the building while the male just keeps her company.

4. Which painter made the Madonna of the Goldfinch?

• Rembrandt
• Raphael (correct)
• Monet
• Picasso

Raphael painted it around 1505.

5. Which Berlin district is named after the goldfinch?

• Kreuzberg
• Spandau
• Steglitz (correct)
• Pankow

Steglitz takes its name from the goldfinch.

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