In this Bird Identification Guide, we are looking at some of the most common green-colored finches that you might see in your garden, namely the Siskin and the Greenfinch. We will also take a quick look at the Serin, which is a rare visitor to the British Isles but easily misidentified.
Family: Fringillidae
Eurasian Siskin
The Siskin (Spinus spinus) breeds throughout the British Isles but is more prevalent where there are higher densities of coniferous forest. It tends to only visit gardens when its preferred food, tree seeds, isn’t available. During the winter months, the resident UK Siskins are joined by birds from the European Continent.
Siskins are one of the smallest members of the Finch family. However, they punch well above their size and weight when it comes to defending their territory, especially when it comes to food. It is not uncommon to see them bullying birds much larger than themselves!
Key distinguishing features to look out for in male Siskins are:
- Males have striking yellow breast feathers and yellow feathers on their cheeks.
- Look out for a black colored cap and bib.
- Their wing feathers include prominent yellow bars.
- Their bill is quite delicate compared to the chunky bill of many other resident finches.
- They have black legs and feet.
Key distinguishing features to look out for in female Siskins are:
- They share the same delicate-looking bill and black legs and feet of the male of the species.
- Females share some of the yellow coloring, but their breast feathers tend to be streaky compared to the males.
- Their heads and backs have yellow coloring but are less prominent, or duller in color.
- Females also share the prominent yellow bars on their wing feathers.
Note that younger Siskins are somewhat duller in color than their parents, but you can still pinpoint the streaky patterning on their breasts, heads, and backs, as well as the prominent yellow wing feathers.
Greenfinch
Compared to other green finches, the Greenfinch (Chloris chloris) is larger and somewhat stocky. They are similar in size to a Sparrow. Both the male and female of the species feature a chunky bill, which they use for crushing their food. They tend to be aggressive to other birds, particularly when it comes to feeding rights. Although they do seem to form mixed flocks of finches when searching for food.
Key distinguishing features to look out for in male Greenfinch are:
- Males are predominantly olive green in color
- Look out for bright yellow feathers on the edge of their wings and the outer tail feathers.
Key distinguishing features to look out for in female Greenfinch are:
- Females are dull grey-brown all over, which incidentally can make them hard to distinguish from female Chaffinches, particularly if the bird you are looking at is in a mixed flock at a feeding station.
- Look out, though, for the yellow feathers on the edge of their wings and outer tail feathers as a distinguishing feature.
Juvenile Greenfinches are similar in appearance to adult females in terms of coloring. But they also feature streaky feathers on their back and breasts.
Serin
Whilst on the subject of green birds in your garden, it’s also worth considering the Serin (Serinus serinus). They are a very rare visitor to the UK, with only a few breeding instances being recorded, but at first glance may be misidentified as a female Siskin or vice versa.
The best distinguishing feature to consider when deciding whether you are looking at a Serin or Siskin is the bill shape. The Serin bill is quite short and stubby compared to the delicate bill of the Siskin. Their body shape is a little more stocky than that of a Siskin, though this can be difficult to judge in the field if you are only looking at a single bird.
As mentioned, they are similar in coloring to a Siskin, particularly the female Serin. The male has more yellow, including bright yellow heads with a darker cap. Females and juveniles are similar in appearance, lacking the yellow highlights and generally more brown.
References
- Elder, C. (2018) The everyday guide to British birds. London, England: Bloomsbury. [Accessed 01/04/2025]
