CARDUELIS.
Brightly coloured with yellow in wing ; bill sharp and pointed; nest in trees; eggs 4-5, greenish white with faint reddish shell markings and dark reddish brown blotches and streaks.
Carduelis carduelis carduelis (L.). GOLDFINCH. Fr. Chardonneret ; Gcr. Stieglitz ; ltul. Cardellino.
Adult. Above uood brown ; mask crimson ; ear coverts, cheeks and nuchal spot white ; lores and neck band black ; wings black and yellow with white tips ; beneath white, sides of breast and flanks washed with brown ; tail white on inner web and white tipped. Bill whitish with dark tip. Legs dull flesh. \Ving 8 76-80, 9 Tarsus i4-i5. Bill 9-11. Young : no red mask, chin and throat white ; above greyish brown, below yellowish brown, both with dark streaks ; quills tipped buff.
firceds.—Europe generally, from 67 N. in Norway and Sweden and 6o° N. in Russia south to N. Spain in \V. and Central Russia in E. Partly migratory.
C. carduelis britannicus (Hartert). Above darker, white nuchal spot almost obsolete, mask lighter crimson, white parts less pure, more brownish, flanks browner.
Breeds.—British Isles. Is largely resident.
C. carduelis tschusii Arrigoni. Resembles " britannicus " but smaller ; bill more slender, ear coverts browner ; mask deep crimson as in typical form.
and Corsica.
C. carduelis parvus Tschusi. Smaller, darker ; bill smaller ; wing shorter ; nuchal spot less distinct than in "carduelis." Wing 70-7S.
Resident.—Madeira, W. Canary Islands, Azores.
C. carduelis weigoldi Reichenow. Like "parvus" but brown duller. Wing Breeds.—Portugal, S. and N.\V. Spain. Considerable migratory movement occurs.
C. carduelis africanus (Hartert). Close to "parvus," but bill larger, wing longer, brown colour paler, and nuchal patch more distinct. Wing 78.
Africa, Morocco to Tunisia ; Central and S.E. Spain, Balearic Islands.
C. carduelis balcanicus Sachtleben. Size as typical form ; brown of flanks greyer, breast patches more distinct, band across chest very distinct.
Bosnia, Macedonia, Greece.
C. carduelis rumaenim Tschusi. The darkest Goldfinch ; white nape spot washed with brown ; above reddish brown ; breast and flanks clear rusty brown ; ear coverts brown tinged.
Breeds.—Rumania, Bulgaria, and Bessarabia.
C. carduelis volgensis Buturlin. A large form, approaching "C. c. major" of \V. Asia in size but nearer to typical form in colour of back, rump and upper tail coverts, whiter than in " carduelis " but not as extensively so as in Asiatic race.
Breeds.—C. and S. Russia to Urals.
C. carduelis brevirostris Sarudny. Upper parts paler grey. Wing 75-81.
Breeds.—Caucasus. Occurs in winter Asia Minor, Cyprus.
C. carduelis major Taczanowski. Larger ; with much more white on rump and upper tail coverts. Wing 83-89. Tarsus 15. Bill 13-14.
A W. Siberian form, ranging in winter to E. Russia and even to Poland and Prussia.
Carduelis caniceps orientalis (Eversmann). " Caniceps" differs from "carduelis" in all races in having no black on the head.
A S. Siberian race of "C. caniceps" which has occurred at Orenburg, E. Russia.