[UNCLASSIFIED] Unusual Goldfinch?

scaley face, is a symptom of a mite that burrows into the beak. Although I have never seen it look quite like this, but it is very common in cardulines especially goldfinches.

Goldfinches do sometimes sit alone, but usually within hearing distance of a flock, or just outside human hearing distance, but usually within 15 minutes they will aggregate. They tend to travel in flocks of 2-12 but sometimes larger. It does look sick, but depends when the photo was taken (ie could look like this early morning or during rest periods).

Benj

 

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From: Julian Robinson [
Sent: Friday, 25 August 2006 9:27 AM
To: Canberra Birds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Unusual Goldfinch?

It probably won't excite anyone on this list when I report my happy discovery that we have regular European Goldfinches here in Narrabundah lower, at least  in winter, but I still lov'em and they make a nice change from black and white birds that seem to be the only ones we get on the golf course.

Anyway yesterday a lone Goldfinch was sitting in a tree all fluffed up and looking perhaps unhappy.  I've never seen a Goldfinch on its own before.  Then I noticed it's strange beak appearance which I enclose in case it is interesting. I don't know whether this is a rare or well known bird pox, or perhaps just the remains of eating something sticky .  Do flocking birds often sit alone?

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