The goldfinch or carduelis carduelis is a bird highly appreciated by ornithologists as it emits a song that is undoubtedly beautiful and unique as well as delighting us with its colorful plumage. If you are looking for how to differentiate a male goldfinch from a female, it is because you have also decided to browse and become one of our site.
In this article we are going to try to help you to distinguish adult specimens easily as well as a short introduction to the new ones, something more complicated. Of course, remember that the goldfinch is a protected bird and for this reason you should never take any specimen from the field if you do not have a wildlife license.
Keep reading and discover in this article how to differentiate a male goldfinch from a female.
Types of goldfinch
We find in Europe and part of Asia a large number of subspecies of goldfinch such as the carduelis carduelis parva, common in Spain, or well the carduelis carduelis caniceps located between Pakistan, the Himalayas and Nepal.
In addition to the wild types we have new specimens that appear in authorized breeding centers. The selection of specific specimens for later reproduction offers us the possibility of developing peculiarities in the plumage.
Due to the different types of goldfinch, to begin to determine the sex and differentiate a male from a female we must pay attention to the subspecies of goldfinch that we want to sex. Still, don't worry if you're sure, keep reading!
1. The face
To begin to know how to differentiate a male goldfinch from a female we must look at the face of the animal While males usually present a larger area of intense red color, in females it is smaller and darker. We can highlight a small projection just above the eye of the male, which is not so marked in the female.
In addition to the color of the mask, we can also notice the shape of the male goldfinch's beak, which is somewhat curved as opposed to the female's, which is straighter.
two. The wings
In addition to the face, the wing of the goldfinch provides us with very valuable information to differentiate a male goldfinch from a female. To begin we will look at the yellow stripe of the wings, which is shorter in the case of females and wider in the case of males:
Also we will look at the shoulder of the goldfinch with its wing extended, in general, the males usually have a defined and delimited black stripe (left), while females do not (right):
3. The tail
Finally and to end our article on how to differentiate a male goldfinch from a female we will look at the goldfinch's tail. The male goldfinch's tail is more open, almost heart-shaped while the female shows it straighter:
Sexing newcomers
We must point out that, obviously, it is much easier to determine the sex of an adult specimen than that of a fledgling (or young goldfinch) since obviously the latter is still to be developed. It will be after a month and a half when we will begin to clearly identify some details of each sex.
We must remember that possession of a female goldfinch is considered a crime if we are not from an authorized breeding center, that means that not everyone with a wildlife license may have one. It will also depend on the legislation under which we operate, since each state and community have their own.
Finally, it should be noted that the goldfinch is a magnificent and especially beautiful bird that we must protect and care for so that our children can enjoy it as well. Never trust anyone who offers you an unbanded goldfinch, it could be a victim of the hidden face of sylvestrism.
Have you managed to identify the sex of your goldfinch? If this has not been the case, share your photograph so that our site can help you do so.
