Greenfinch (European Greenfinch)
Carduelis chloris
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Distribution Britain 2,323 (-2.7%) Ireland 813 (-11.7%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 530,000 Ireland 160,000 European status: 13,000,000 (5% in Britain and Ireland = 5=) British population trend: stable (+3% CBC, +19% farm){-2%} How likely are you to record it? 2,828 squares (63.0%) Ranked 15 [19] |
By the end of the 19th century this was a common and widespread species throughout Britain save for the very North-west and the Hebrides. Orkney had recently been colonised but they were not on Shetland. In Ireland they were only missing from the bleak and treeless areas of the West coast. The birds continued to spread in Scotland and Western Ireland helped by new plantations and soon reached Lewis and many other Hebridean islands. Breeding is still not recorded on Shetland and the outer islands of the Orkneys — nor in parts of the North-west Mainland of Scotland. The Greenfinch has become a very widespread and common feeder in gardens and this has probably insulated it against potential losses due to agricultural intensification. There were some losses between the two Breeding Atlases particularly in the northern half of Ireland and in upland areas in Scotland and Wales. The CBC index has stood up well (overall 3% increase 1972-96) and recent BBS indices over the five years 1994-98 show a healthy and significant 13% increase. However the NRS shows a worrying recent (last 15 years) increase in nest failures. This is one finch species that looks as if it might be coping rather well with the modern world.
The following Bird On! picture is available:
Greenfinch (Watercolour by Robert Gillmor)
The following Bird On! sketch is available:
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead