I
note that one of the regional names in the UK was ‘Thistle Finch’. In my
childhood in Geelong they were a familiar garden bird, nesting each Spring in
apricot trees that were just coming into leaf - one of the easiest
nests to find.
A
few years ago we had a talk at COG on introductions (someone from Brisbane I
think). The point was made that, in certain pairs of introductions, one
prospered and the other did not, as in the blackbird and the song thrush.
Goldfinches and greenfinches were mentioned in that connection. In recent
years greenfinches have certainly been more evident than previously at JWNR, the
wheezy call being a regular morning sound. I think they feed on casuarina
seeds, maybe on thistles but I’ve not seen them near the ground
.
