The American Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is a species of passerine bird in the Fringillidae family, partially migratory, small and very colorful. The Goldfinch lives throughout Europe (including Cape Verde), all countries bordering the Mediterranean, the Middle East except Yemen, and all of Asia except Southeast Asia and the Koreas. It has been introduced into Brazil, Uruguay, New Zealand, Australia and the Azores. Exceptionally, it has been seen in Argentina, Japan and Oman. Only northern individuals are considered migratory.
The goldfinch lives in orchards, parks, gardens and other cultivated areas, but in autumn and winter it seeks out the seeds of thistles and alders, so prefers roadsides and fallow land. From August onwards, they gather in flocks of congeners of the same species, in open spaces and cultivated areas, seeking out the proximity of ponds and streams; they also frequent individuals of other species such as alder tarins, whose very similar diet often means they live side by side.