Ireland, South Coast. Jan 2022 (1 Viewer)

[Cormac]

Please confirm if this is a juvenile greenfinch.

 

[Evan Atkinson]

Yes.

Edit: Adult female as said below.

 

[aeshna5]

Adult female.

 

[Cormac]

Many thanks

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
not a confident answer, but one for me to get help.

I hope for Jane Turner, Grahame Wallbridge and other experienced members to jump in. And maybe for Aeshna, Ev4dawin and Butty to take a closer look at this again. As always no offense, and I would like to learn if this bird can aged as an aduld bird with confidence or better leaved unaged.

My question:
Is this Greenfinch a 1 winter=2 cy bird by

• quite worn greater coverts
• and do I see a moult contrast in the greater coverts?

Thanks!

 

[Butty]

Is this Greenfinch a 1 winter=2 cy bird by . . .

Pass! But I think key point for the OP is that this isn't a juvenile because:

• Juv has more-contrasting streaks, above and below, and anyway...
• There aren't any juvs to be seen now because juvs will (I assume) all have moulted months ago (in late summer/autumn) into 1st-year/1st-adult plumage which looks extremely like older-adult plumage.

 

[dantheman]

Greenfinch is one of those relatively few species in the region which are known to be able to breed almost year round?

Meaning that an unusual age of bird entirely possible? (And I completely pass on ageing it lol, although it doesn't quite look like a normal fresh adult to me. Possibly just the photograph/me.)

 

[fdokykcu]

Hello,
not a confident answer, but one for me to get help.

I hope for Jane Turner, Grahame Wallbridge and other experienced members to jump in. And maybe for Aeshna, Ev4dawin and Butty to take a closer look at this again. As always no offense, and I would like to learn if this bird can aged as an aduld bird with confidence or better leaved unaged.

My question:
Is this Greenfinch a 1 winter=2 cy bird by

• quite worn greater coverts
• and do I see a moult contrast in the greater coverts?

Thanks!

Alexander: you can also check the shape of the tail feathers (pointed) that is seen in the photo against http://blascozumeta.com/wp-content/uploads/aves-aragon/passeriformes/430.chlorischloris.pdf description of 2cy (p. 2) (Google translates the paragraph into english quite well, with a minor mistake)

 

[Butty]

https://ringersdigiguide.ottenby.se/species/carduelis-chloris/