European Goldfinch

The European goldfinch is a small finch native to the Palearctic zone in Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, 12–13 cm long with a wingspan of 21–25 cm and weighing 14–19 g. The breeding male has a red face with black markings around the eyes and a black-and-white head, a buff or chestnut-brown back and flanks, black wings with a broad yellow bar, a black tail and a white rump. Males and females are very similar, but females have a slightly smaller red area on the face (Wikipedia, general species account).

Goldfinches in breeding condition have a pale bill with a grey or black mark at the tip, and a darker bill the rest of the year. The female builds the nest entirely herself, generally within a week; a deep cup prevents eggs being lost in windy weather, and the eggs are laid in the early morning at regular intervals, the nestlings fledging 13–18 days after hatching. The song is a pleasant silvery twittering. The cached account does not describe an Indian range, and the SoIB 2023 record attached to the name (a Low priority, a Moderate range of about 105,000 km²) is identical to the grey-crowned goldfinch's, which suggests a name mismatch to check (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).