The Goldfinch

Surrey Wildlife Trust’s conservation manager, Ken Anckorn, on the charming and chirpy bird – a visit from which is well worth keeping your bird feeders topped up for

- Ken Anckorn

COLLECTIVE names for animals are often a puzzle. It’s difficult to fathom why we refer to a ‘murder’ of crows, a ‘gulp’ of cormorants or a’bellowing’ of bullfinches. But a ‘charm’ of goldfinches seems highly appropriate.

This common breeding bird, found in most parts of Surrey, is one of our most colourful and chirpy resident species. Both sexes look similar, with a distinctive red face, black and white head, black wings with a broad yellow stripe, a white rump and black tail with white spots. When in flocks, feeding, they are very vocal with a twittering sequence of rapid trills and mewing notes.