Citril Finch
Carduelis citrinella
Small alpine finch with a quite long pointed bill and long tail. Males have a yellow-green body with gray crown and neck. The female is similar but is lightly streaked on the back. Two strong yellow wingbars and greenish yellow rump are very prominent in both sexes. Found in montane woodland with spruce and pine up to the treeline. Forages both in trees and on the ground. Song is a long series of twitters, trills, buzzes, hisses, and whistles. Calls include a rising nasal “dee” and a high-pitched, rather tinny “dzee.”
Taxonomy
The citril finch was formally described by the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 under the binomial name Fringilla citrinella. The current genus name Carduelis is the Latin word for the European goldfinch, and the specific epithet citrinella is the Italian word for a small yellow bird. It is a diminutive of the Latin citrinus meaning citrine or light greenish-yellow. The Corsican finch (Carduelis corsicana) was at one time considered as conspecific with the citril finch, but is now treated as a separate species. Molecular genetic studies have shown that the citril finch is closely related to the European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis).
- Scientific name
- Carduelis citrinella
- Authority
- (Pallas, 1764)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Carduelis
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : temperate to subtropical sw Palearctic montane forest edge and alpine meadows: Spain, s, e France, Switzerland, n Italy, s Germany, Austria and nw Slovenia
- Non-breeding range
- to lower elevations
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
The citril finch (Carduelis citrinella) differs from the Corsican finch (C. corsicana) in habitat selection. While the mainland citril finch is rather restricted to subalpine coniferous forests and Alpine meadows, the insular Corsican finch may be found in different habitats from sea level to the highest mountain slopes. The citril finch nests mainly in conifers such as pines (Pinus) and spruces (Picea) while the Corsican finch uses also lower bushes such as tree Heath (Erica arborea), juniper (Juniperus) and bramble (Rubus).<p>Ranging more widely than its equally common eastern relative, the citril finch is classified as a Species of Least Concern by the IUCN.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Anisognathus igniventris
Common and unmistakable. Mostly black with a bright red belly, a red ear patch, and a blue rump and shoulder. Young birds are duller orange instead of red. Pairs or small flocks forage at all levels of montane forest and edges, often with mixed-species flocks. Occurs from extreme western Venezuela to Bolivia, from around 2,600 to 3,600 m. Listen for strange song: a rambling jumble of squeaks and tinkles.
Western Capercaillie
Tetrao urogallus
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Timor Green-Pigeon
Treron psittaceus
Fruit-loving, forest-dwelling pigeon with the coloration of a green mango. Gathers in flocks in fruiting trees and races by overhead in fast, direct flight. Note darker-centered feathers under the tail and bright yellowish linings on the wing feathers. Black-and-white outer tail edges are often exposed in flight. The only green-pigeon on Timor; all-green plumage readily separates this species from imperial-pigeons and fruit-doves. Very rare or extirpated in Indonesian West Timor, and declining in East Timor due to hunting and habitat loss. Gives oddly creaky rising coo: “aw-woo-wUUOO.”
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