Citril finch

    Serinus citrinella

Castilian: Verderón serrano

Catalan: Llucareta

Gallego: Verderolo serrano

Euskera: Mendi-txirriskila

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Fringillidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

listen song

THREATS

Strangely, this species benefits from the clearing of trees, since its presence is associated with mosaic landscapes.

Length / size: 12 cm / 22,4-24,5 cm

Identification: Bird that is similar to the siskin, with a long and pointy bill. Its head and cheeks are grey, and its rump and underparts are yellowish. Two transverse yellowish markings against a greenish-brown background are visible on its wings. In contrast with the siskin, it does not have markings on the sides of its belly.

Song: In flight it repeats the monosyllabic "teh-teh-teh", and when perched it begins a "pee-reh reh reh reh" verse with emphasis.

Diet: It feeds on seeds and leaves of numerous herbaceous plants. One of its principal food sources is the pine nut, indispensable during breeding season. It occasionally consumes insects.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in May, although males begin to sing in the month of January. They usually place the nest in trees near other pairs and use grass, roots, lichens and hair to build their nest. The female incubates the eggs and, later, both parents feed the chicks.

HABITAT

It prefers high altitudes, above 1,600 metres, where conditions begin to become harsh. It occupies the upper margin of high mountain forests, principally pine forests in contact with scrubland.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: In the Iberian Peninsula, there are stable populations in the Pyrnees and Cantabrian Mountains, the Iberian and Central Systems, and in Sierra Nevada.

In Castile and León: It is distributed in four concentrations in the community: in the Cantabrian Mountains (León and Palencia); Sierra de la Demanda-Picos de Urbión (Burgos-Soria); and Sierra de Guadarrama (Segovia).

Movements and migrations: In winter, the Pyrenean populations move to the Central System and migrations to lower altitudes are observed. European specimens also arrive.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 225000-230000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of more than 9500 breeding pairs.