Best time to see: all year

Key facts

Chunky olive-green and yellow finch with a substantial bill

Habitat: anywhere with some cover, preferring parkland and garden

Widespread and common resident, currently suffering from an infectious disease called trichomonosis

Recognition

Chunky in appearance, with a stout bill and a distinctive yellow margin to the wing; 14–15 cm

Sociable birds, haunting wasteland and stubble looking for seeds and berries and readily visiting bird feeders

Twittering song Play and nasal 'zweee' Play when breeding

Lifecycle

Nest is an untidy cup of grass, moss and roots, high in a bush, tree or hedge

Often nest colonially in adjacent bushes

Usually 2 broods, sometimes 3, late April to August or even September; 4–6 pale blue eggs, spotted black