Biology:Citril finch

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Short description: Species of bird

Citril finch
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Carduelinae
Genus: Carduelis
Species:
C. citrinella
Binomial name
Carduelis citrinella
(Pallas, 1764)
Synonyms
  • Serinus citrinella (Pallas, 1764)
  • Fringilla citrinella Pallas, 1764

The citril finch (Carduelis citrinella), also known as the Alpine citril finch, is a small songbird, a member of the true finch family, Fringillidae.

This bird is a resident breeder in the mountains of southwestern Europe from Spain to the Alps. Its northernmost breeding area is found in the Black Forest of southwestern Germany.

Taxonomy

The citril finch was formally described by the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 under the binomial name Fringilla citrinella.[1][2] Long considered to be closely related to the European serin and the Cape canary, it was traditionally placed with them in the genus Serinus,[3] until a genetic study in 2007 showed that, despite the plumage differences, it was more closely related to the European goldfinch;[4] a second study in 2012 confirmed this,[5] leading to its formal transfer to the genus Carduelis in 2013.[6]

The Corsican finch (Carduelis corsicana) of Corsica and Sardinia was at one time considered as conspecific with the citril finch,[3] but is now treated as a separate species.[7]

Etymology

Carduelis is the Latin word for the European goldfinch, and the specific epithet citrinella is the Italian word for a small yellow bird, from a diminutive of the Latin citrinus, citrine or light greenish-yellow.[8]

Template:Phylogeny/Carduelis

Description and systematics

The citril finch has an overall length of 12 cm (4.7 in) and weighs around 12.5 g (0.44 oz).[9] It is greyish above, with a brown tinge to the back which also has black streaks. The underparts and the double wing bars are yellow. It shares with its relatives a bright face mask which in this species is also yellow.

The sexes are similar, although young females may be duller below, and juvenile birds, unlike in the European Serinus species, are brown, lacking any yellow or green in the plumage.

The song is a silvery twittering resembling that of the European goldfinch (C. carduelis) and that of the European serin (Serinus serinus). The main call is a tee-ee, quite similar to the Eurasian siskin (Spinus spinus).

Ecology

Carduelis citrinella MHNT

The citril finch (Carduelis citrinella) differs from the Corsican finch (C. corsicana) in habitat selection. While the mainland citril finch is rather restricted to subalpine coniferous forests and Alpine meadows, the insular Corsican finch may be found in different habitats from sea level to the highest mountain slopes. The citril finch nests mainly in conifers such as pines (Pinus) and spruces (Picea) while the Corsican finch uses also lower bushes such as tree Heath (Erica arborea), juniper (Juniperus) and bramble (Rubus).[10]

Ranging more widely than its Corsican relative, the citril finch is currently classified as a Species of Least Concern by the IUCN.[11] However, it has only a narrow ecological and climatic tolerance, and is now in severe decline due to global warming and agricultural intensification.[12][13]

References

  1. ↑ Paynter, Raymond A. Jnr., ed (1968). Check-list of birds of the world, Volume 14. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 211. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14481412. 
  2. ↑ Sherborn, C. Davies (1905). "The new species of birds in Vroeg's catalogue, 1764". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 47: 332–341. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8812106. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Voous, Karel (1977). "List of Recent Holarctic Bird Species". Ibis 119: 389. 
  4. ↑ Arnaiz-Villena, A.; Moscoso, J.; Ruiz-del-Valle, V.; Gonzalez, J.; Serrano-Vela, J.I. (2007-01-01). "(PDF) Bayesian phylogeny of Fringillinae birds: status of the singular African Oriole Finch (Linurgus olivaceus) and evolution and heterogeneity of genus Carpodacus". ACTA ZOOLOGICA SINICA (unknown) 53: 826–834. ISSN 0001-7302. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281601234_Bayesian_phylogeny_of_Fringillinae_birds_status_of_the_singular_African_Oriole_Finch_Linurgus_olivaceus_and_evolution_and_heterogeneity_of_genus_Carpodacus. Retrieved 2026-08-20. 
  5. ↑ Zuccon, Dario; Prŷs-Jones, Robert; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Ericson, Per G.P. (2012). "The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62 (2): 581–596. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002. PMID 22023825. Bibcode: 2012MolPE..62..581Z. http://www.nrm.se/download/18.9ff3752132fdaeccb6800010935/Zuccon%20et%20al%202012.pdf. 
  6. ↑ Sangster, George; Collinson, J. Martin; Crochet, Pierre‐André; Knox, Alan G.; Parkin, David T.; Votier, Stephen C. (2013). "Taxonomic recommendations for Western Palearctic birds: ninth report". Ibis 155 (4): 898–907. doi:10.1111/ibi.12091. ISSN 0019-1019. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ibi.12091. Retrieved 2026-08-20. 
  7. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. "Finches, euphonias". World Bird List Version 5.3. International Ornithologists' Union. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/finches/. 
  8. ↑ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 91, 110. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4. https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling. 
  9. ↑ Cramp & Perrins 1994, pp. 536, 547.
  10. ↑ Förschler & Kalko (2006a), Förschler et al. (2006a,b)
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named IUCN
  12. ↑ "Citril Finch population collapses in Germany amid broader European declines". 2025-12-09. https://www.birdguides.com/news/citril-finch-population-collapses-in-germany-amid-broader-european-dec/. 
  13. ↑ Fischer, Klaus; Buchwald, Stella; Fünfstück, Hans-Joachim; Holmeier, Peter; Unger, Fabian; Schödl, Michael (2026). "A globally declining endemic under pressure: effects of habitat and climate change on Citril Finches in the Bavarian Alps". Journal of Ornithology 167 (3): 901–914. doi:10.1007/s10336-025-02359-0. ISSN 2193-7192. https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10336-025-02359-0. Retrieved 2026-08-20. 

Sources

  • Clement, Peter; Harris, Alan & Davis, John (1993): Finches and Sparrows: an identification guide. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-691-03424-9
  • Cramp, S.; Perrins, C.M., eds (1994). "Serinus citrinella Citril Finch". The Birds of the Western Palearctic. 8. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 536–548. ISBN 0-19-854679-3. 
  • Förschler, Marc Imanuel; Kalko, Elisabeth K.V. (2006a). "Breeding ecology and nest site selection in allopatric mainland Citril Finches Carduelis [citrinella citrinella and insular Corsican Finches Carduelis [citrinella] corsicanus"]. Journal of Ornithology 147 (4): 553–564. doi:10.1007/s10336-006-0079-z. Bibcode: 2006JOrni.147..553F. https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/18703/stri_Forschler_and_Kalko_2006.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. 
  • Förschler, Marc Imanuel; Kalko, Elisabeth K.V. (2006b). "Age-specific reproductive performance in Citril Finches Carduelis [citrinella"]. Ardea 94 (2): 275–279. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299172173. 
  • Pasquet, E. & Thibault, J.-C. (1997): Genetic differences among mainland and insular forms of the Citril Finch Serinus citrinella. Ibis 139(4): 679–684. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1997.tb04691.x (HTML abstract)
  • Sangster, George (2000): Genetic distance as a test of species boundaries in the Citril Finch Serinus citrinella: a critique and taxonomic reinterpretation. Ibis 142(3): 487–490. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2000.tb04447.x
  • Sangster, George; Knox, Alan G.; Helbig, Andreas J. & Parkin, David T. (2002): Taxonomic recommendations for European birds. Ibis 144(1): 153–159. doi:10.1046/j.0019-1019.2001.00026.x

Further reading

Wikidata ☰ Q206550 entry



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