Carduelis

Carduelis is a genus of finches, family Fringillidae, restricted to four Western Palaearctic species since a 2012 phylogenetic study by Dario Zuccon found the older, broader genus polyphyletic and moved American siskins to the genus Spinus and greenfinches to the genus Chloris. The remaining Carduelis species are native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia, with the European goldfinch showing the widest distribution among them. Members are characterized as red- or yellow-faced finches, and the genus name derives from the Latin carduus, meaning thistle, since thistle seeds are a favored food.