Greenfinch

Greenfinch, or GREEN LINNET (Ligurinus chloris), a bird of the finch family (Fringillidæ), a common resident in most parts of Britain, frequenting gardens and copses and cultivated districts generally. It occurs in many parts of Europe, and extends its range into Asia, also visiting in winter such regions as North Africa, Asia Minor, and Palestine. The bill is much thicker than that of the true linnets, to which, however, it is nearly allied. A prevailing green tint, mingling with gray and brown, characterises the plumage, and gives the bird its name. The female is much less brilliant and somewhat smaller than the male, which measures about 6 inches in length. The nest, usually placed in shrubs, is somewhat loosely built of fibres, moss, hair, and the like; the eggs (four to six) are greenish-white, with brownish or gray spots; two broods are often reared in a season. The food consists of insects, seeds, and berries. The proper song of the greenfinch is not very sweet, but in confinement it readily imitates the song of other birds, and in consequence of this and of its very easy domestication it is rather a favourite cage-bird. See Howard Saunders, Manual of British Birds.