The greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) is a sturdy bird the size of a sparrow with a strong bill. In breeding plumage the male is olive green on the head, neck, back and shoulders, while its chest, belly and undertail coverts are yellow-green. Its cheeks, flanks and the central part of the wings are grey, the tips of the wings and tail are black. It is characteristic of the bright yellow color on the leading edge of the wings and the outer edge of the tail. The liveliness of the green color fades with the coming of autumn, so over winter the male resembles the female, which is all greenish grey. Its plumage is revived only slightly by the yellow color on the wings and tail, though it is much paler than in the male. The young resemble the females, but are noticeably longitudinally streaked.
Its strong, cone-shaped bill betrays a distinctly herbivorous diet. Most of its diet consists of various seeds and berries.
The greenfinch is a sociable, diurnal bird that nests in small colonies. It hides its cup-shaped nest in shrubs or in the crown of a tree. Males, before the start of nesting, which lasts from April to June, with songs from the treetops and by swooping and displaying the bright yellow color of their plumage attract females. The greenfinch lives in a variety of habitats. It prefers open cultural landscapes with plenty of hedges, and it also nests in urban parks and larger gardens.
In Slovenia it is regarded as a very common and widely distributed breeder. It is a regular presence that gathers into larger flocks in winter. Because in nature its preferred food is scarce in winter, it is a frequent visitor to bird feeders. Here, in particular, it likes to peck hemp seeds and sunflower seeds.
